Everything you need to know about the Maranoa Regional Council 2022/2023 budget

A controversial move on rates has sparked fierce debate among the region’s councillors, as the Mayor labels the 2022-23 budget one of the toughest his team has faced. Everything you need to know here:

With residents feeling the sting of rising living prices, Maranoa Regional Council has again opted to freeze rates this year, sparking heated debate among a divided council.

The nine councillors gathered in the council chambers on June 30 to formally adopt the 2022/23 budget, which Mayor Tyson Golder said was one of the toughest his council has faced, partly due to a devastating 10 per cent cut to the region’s federal road funding.

Cr Golder said a key highlight of this year’s budget was a controversial rates freeze.

“The current economic climate with rising inflation and increased cost of living has been a key factor in council resolving to adopt 0% cap increases for multiple categories,” he said.

The Mayor said he was aware some were skipping meals because they were struggling to keep up with rising rent prices.

“When the rates go up, rent goes up,” Cr Golder said.

“So we need to do whatever we can to improve to lot of the residents in the Maranoa.”

Cr Wendy Taylor spoke out against the motion, saying “once again I will lose, but that doesn’t make this right and me wrong”.

“The community of the Maranoa want to pay their way and want council to be able to fix roads, rubbish, water, gas and sewage,” she said.

“My biggest concern is this will happen again next year, and what happens the year after that?

“Whoever sits at this table will be left with a mess to clean up and will have to make hard decisions this council will not make in order to stay popular.”

Cr Johanne Hancock also voted against the budget, which she said would be “very tight” with not enough money to spend and a lot of expenses to cover.

“With a grim look at the finances, staff were expected to find cuts to the operational budget. Cuts that I cannot support,” she said.

“In my opinion, to be financially viable and ethical, the region needed to move with CPI - 5.1 per cent for residential and rural and 10 per cent on commercial industry and oil and gas.

“I understand the popular vote would not be to increase the rates at all, but that’s not the responsible decision.”

Maranoa councillor Johanne Hancock.

Cr Hancock said a rate freeze is the “popular decision” but not the “responsible one”, protecting residents while leaving the oil and gas sector to foot the bill with an approximate 20 per cent rate rise.

“I don’t think this is right, to only give an increase to the oil and gas sector, when council has already increased that sector’s rates by between 70 to 120 per cent two years ago,” she said.

Cr Hancock said increased costs coupled with a 0 per cent rate rise could also leave council with a negative budget, forcing them to cut projects or services to the community.

Draft 2022/23 budget documents reveal $117 million in revenue and total expenses of $91.6 million. This leaves the budget with a $24 million surplus.

Cr’s Tyson Golder, Julie Guthrie, George Ladbrook and John Birkett voted in favour of the budget, with Crs Johanne Hancock, Wendy Taylor, Cameron O’Neil and Geoff McMullen voting against it.

The mayor used his casting vote to pass the budget five to four.

Budget highlights

• Maranoa Regional Council has budgeted to pay down debt by $1.8m in the 2022/23 budget.
• Increased spending on roads and drainage to $28.224 million in capital projects to manage the 5,607.56kms road network.

Priority projects

• Water - $3.04 million
• Sewerage - $2.29 million
• Facilities - $13.86 million

The value of the 2022/23 Capital Works Program including continuing projects is $60.4 million.