Central Highlands Regional Council 23-24 budget, 3 per cent rate rise

The budget comes as the council, which covers a geographical area the size of Tasmania, has faced a 30 per cent loss in state government funding. Read how much extra you’ll pay.

Central Highlands Regional Council councillors and Mayor Kerry Hayes.

Central Highland Regional Council has adopted its 2023-24 budget which has raised the average rates for residential, commercial and rural ratepayers by three per cent.

Rural residents with large land valuation increases may experience higher increases but they are capped at 10 per cent.

Rates for properties in the coal sector – including coal mining, gas production and workers accommodation – will rise by four per cent under a new framework coming into force this financial year.

The rate rises come as the council stares down the barrel of significant funding losses from the state government.

Mayor Kerry Hayes said planning the budget was challenge as the council faced high inflation rates, rising interest rates, and labour, materials and supply shortages like the rest of Australia.

“These factors impact our residents and contribute to a higher cost of living and pressure on household budgets,” Mr Hayes said.

“In our role as the region’s representatives, we are trusted to prioritise wisely, deliver results and progress our region all while ensuring financial longevity.

“With the size of our region and approximately 15,000 rateable properties, it is a complex task to achieve a balanced budget that is affordable and deliverable.”

Central Highland’s rate rises are less than neighbouring councils with Mackay Regional Council posting a 3.8 per cent rise and Isaac Regional Council 4 per cent.

All three councils’ rises were below the current reported Brisbane Consumer Price Index rate of seven per cent.

The budget also outlines increases in water, sewerage and waste charges.

When combining the general rates with utility charges, the majority of residential ratepayers face an increase of around six per cent to their total bill or $4.44 per week, after the five per cent prompt payment discount is applied.

“The vast geographical network of the Central Highlands makes the provision of water, sewerage and waste management services very costly for council,” Mr Hayes said.

The council has been impacted by a reduction of funding from the Queensland Local Government Grants Commission’s Financial Assistance Grant by 30 per cent over a three-year period.

Mr Hayes said those repercussions combined with the economy’s “current volatile state” had produced a gap that council needed to fill via rate increases to “maintain our core service levels and infrastructure, and ensure we stay sustainable in the long term”.

“However, we have done everything we can to keep them to a minimum and they are generally below or in line with other councils’ increases across the state,” he said.

The budget further outlines $81 million for new capital works projects and $17 million towards continuing projects.

This included $35.7 million for roads, $22.9 million for water and sewerage assets, $12.8 million for parks and recreation facilities, and $6 million towards the airport.

Other capital projects with “significant investment” include almost $10.4m for planning, feasibility and design for the Nogoa River pedestrian bridge at the Emerald Botanic Gardens, $1.75m for the new Ghungalu Nunee Gardens at Blackwater, $4.6 million to replace the 25m pool and build a new heated pool at Springsure Aquatic Centre, $2.52 million for upgrades to the Withersfield Rd timber bridge, and $322,000 to install flood-warning network gauges and road cameras.