UNDECIDED: Council set to vote again on rate hike

LISMORE City Council set to vote on rescission motion to stop rate increase.

Lismore City Council set to vote again on Special Rate Variation. Picture: Northern Star

THE countdown is on for Lismore City Council to decide whether it continues its plan to increase rates or scrap the proposed 24 per cent hike.

Last Tuesday, the council voted 5-3 in favour to support a staggered increase of the base rate by 7.5, 9.4, 3.9 and 3.2 per cent increases over four years, as part of the Special Rates Variation (SRV) to improve the failing roads budget and infrastructure backlog.

However, less than 24-hours later councillors Nancy Casson, Greg Bennett and Gianpiero Battista lodged a rescission motion to stop the rate increase after concerns the community had been ignored, despite rigorous surveys.

Cr Casson said ratepayers deserved a better solution to solving the problematic road backlog.

"This council has to make the hardcore decision and stop spending money," she said.

"Roads are extremely important - the money is there but it's going in the wrong bucket.

"We've done the analysis and we've done the survey and we're not listening to them."

But Cr Elly Bird, who voted alongside Mayor Isaac Smith and councillors Darlene Cook, Vanessa Ekins and Neil Marks in favour of the SRV, said it was council's responsibility to maintain the roads and the SRV is the only option.

"I think the work that we've done over this term in particular clearly demonstrates that there's an urgent need for extra funding to be put into to maintaining our roads and we have an urgent need to support economic development in our LGA," Cr Bird said.

After community backlash over the SRV decision, Cr Bird said she believes ratepayers don't fully understand what the SRV will be used for.

"I think the community has aligned the ($6.1 million) deficit with the SRV," she said.

"We returned the budget to surplus in the last budget. The SRV can only be for roads and economic development."

Whether the council decides to increase rates or not, its decision must be submitted to Independent Pricing and Regulatory Tribunal (IPART) before November 29.

The council is meeting tonight at 6pm at Lismore City Council chambers.