Emergency Services Levy increase: Central Coast Council joins campaign

Central Coast Council has just received an eye-watering bill from the State Government for emergency services provision — but ultimately the unexpected increase will be met by ratepayers and those with insurance policies.

Councils face huge unexpected increases in their Emergency Services Levy. Picture: NSW Rural Fire Service

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Council says the NSW Government should cover this year’s increase.

Ratepayers will be left to pick up the hefty bill after the NSW Government unexpectedly increased Central Coast Council’s Emergency Services Levy by almost $625,000 for this year.

Rural Firefighting Service volunteers performing backburning operations on the central coast. Picture: Sam Mooy

Council staff said an invoice from Revenue NSW had arrived without warning or consultation which hiked up the levy for 2019-20 by a whopping 14.9 per cent.

Central Coast Council’s total bill for this financial year will be $4,825,320 and further increases will follow in the next financial year.

A mayoral minute from Jane Smith tabled at the overnight council meeting said council would have to find extra funds to pay the “significant” bill — including the possibility of rate increases — or cut services and programs to pay for it.

Mayor Jane Smith will write to the NSW Government about the Levy increase.

The NSW government collects payments from councils and insurers to fund emergency services in NSW with councils jointly contributing almost 12 per cent of the total cost.

The cost is passed on to ratepayers in their rates and insurance premiums.

The NSW Government plans to collect an extra $160 million in the 2019-20 financial year to pay for better insurance cover for volunteer and career firefighters who are diagnosed with one of twelve specific work-related cancers.

Central Coast Council CEO Gary Murphy said council had received no advance warning of the increase.

The mayoral minute tabled last night said while council supported the firefighters and agreed with the need for extra compensation funding, there had been no consultation with councils who had not budgeted for the large increase.

Council CEO Gary Murphy said staff had allowed for a CPI increase but had not anticipated the size of the bill.

“There was no advance warning,” he said.

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Central Coast Council will now join a campaign by Local Government NSW to have the State Government meet the first years increase in the levy.

It will also seek to have a “fairer” funding system in the future.

During discussion of the issue, Cr Kyle McGregor, described the increase in funds as blatant “cost shifting” by the NSW government.

“It’s an outrage,” he said.