Noosa Council reveals price hikes for ratepayers

One councillor said she hoped the fresh budget would unlock more rental options in the region, while another claimed she was “not overly satisfied” with rate hikes.

Noosa Mayor Frank Wilkie. Picture: Iwan Jones

Noosa councillors have unanimously moved to hike rates for homeowners in the region, despite some claiming they were “not overly satisfied” with decision.

The Noosa Council was presented their 2025-26 budget at a special meeting held earlier this week, which outlined a 6.5 per cent increase on general rates for property owners.

The budget also outlined a further eight percent increase to the waste utility charge due to higher service delivery costs.

The region’s environment levy will also increase from $70 to $75 per year for ratepayers.

All other levies will remain unchanged, according to the budget presented to the council.

The budget papers stated the move to increase rates came as the council was impacted by inflation and increased labour costs.

Mayor Frank Wilkie said the rates increase would see homeowners paying an extra $89 per year, with the council expected to produce an operating surplus of $77,000 over the next 12 months.

Councillor Amelia Lorentson said she would like to see rate hikes push more short-term rentals into the long-term market.

Councillor Nicola Wilson said she supported the budget’s classification of short-term accommodation properties as commercial rather than residential and the rate hike to improve services.

“The most common complaints I hear from residents are roads not being fixed and parks not being maintained, I hate having to say there is not enough in the budget for that or that we don’t have the staff to do it,” Ms Wilson said.

“Ratepayers should expect to have basic services and see the value of their rates bill, which for the majority is still less than $2000 per year.”

Councillor Jessica Phillips said she was not “overly satisfied” with the 6.5 rate hike for homeowners.

“I’m not overly satisfied with the budget because I always want to see rates remain as low as possible for our ratepayers,” Ms Phillips said.

“But in saying that, being a part of every workshop and being able to speak up, question and challenge I do with confidence support the budget today.”

Councillor Amelia Lorentson said she hoped the rate hike on short-term accommodation would encourage some homeowners to offer long-term leases instead.

The budget was adopted by the council unanimously.