Ratepayers in favour of BMS, but don't want to pay for it

CONSULTATION has shown many ratepayers are in favour of Lismore City Council’s Biodiversity Management Strategy, but they don’t want to pay for it.

CONSULTATION has shown many ratepayers are in favour of Lismore City Council's Biodiversity Management Strategy, but they don't want to pay for it.

A report going to next week's council meeting recommends the approval of the BMS and its accompanying 1.9% rate rise.

Mayor Jenny Dowell said the council couldn't fund the strategy without increasing rates.

"It's clear that a lot of the work - most of the work in fact - would not be able to happen without the special rate variation," she said.

Cr Dowell said farming groups were worried about the strategy and rate hike but urban ratepayers "who are clearly not directly benefiting from the BMS" think it's affordable.

Cr Dowell declined to speculate on whether the strategy would be approved by the council next week.

However, she said she encouraged an open-minded, informative debate.

The comments follow months of community debate about the overall strategy, its cost and whether it will effectively bolster biodiversity.

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The council report says 1526 written submissions showed "broad support" for the biodiversity management strategy (44% support, 26% oppose, 39% inconclusive) but not the rate rise (39% support, 59% oppose, 2% inconclusive).

A poorly attended community forum also saw ratepayers vote 9-6 against the special rate variation.

But a phone survey of a random sample of 209 properties strongly influenced the recommendation.

It found 61% of surveyed ratepayers agreed or strongly agreed the rate rise was reasonable and 66% agreed or strongly agreed it was affordable.

"This report recommends the adoption of the BMS and the SRV based on the higher level of confidence than is offered by the independent stratified random survey of ratepayers conducted by HRF," the report states.

The council would need to apply to the Independent Pricing and Regulatory Tribunal to seek approval for the rate rise if the strategy goes ahead.

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The self-proclaimed Robin Hood of Richmond Hill, Neville King, was adamant the council should ditch the rate rise and adopt a cut-down plan.

He said struggling ratepayers should not have to pay the special rate variation, and more extensive community consultation should have been undertaken.

Mr King manned a "ratepayer's embassy" at Lismore's Starcourt Arcade recently.

He said he took more than 400 submissions on the biodiversity management strategy and the rate rise.