Cairns Regional Council boasts lowest rates of comparable regions after benchmarking report
The Cairns Regional Council has spruiked how its rates and utility charges compare to cities of a similar size, and the findings may surprise.
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THE Cairns Regional Council has spruiked it has the lowest rates and utility charges for a municipality of its size anywhere in Queensland.
Its annual residential minimum charge of $2894 was less than its most comparable neighbour, Townsville, which charges $2951, and beat the state’s capital Brisbane at $3077, Mackay at $3204 and Toowoomba’s $3336.
The comparison was made against 11 other Queensland local government areas with populations of 100,000 or more.
At the other end of the scale, the Redland City Council’s rates, near Brisbane, were a whopping $3912.
“To compare this favourably against other large councils across the state, as well as those councils in our region, is interesting,” Mayor Bob Manning said.
“It shows that Cairns ratepayers are getting good value for money rates when compared with similar local government areas.”
Division 8 councillor Rhonda Coghlan, speaking at an ordinary council meeting on Wednesday, said the latest report “gives me lots of comfort when talking to ratepayers.
“This shows when comparing apples to apples … we do give the best value,” she said.
“It’s there in black, white and colour.”
Cr Manning said his council had a longstanding commitment to keeping rate rises “as low as possible.”
“While being realistic about the funds needed to maintain service delivery standards and the
maintenance of assets,” he said.
The benchmarking was carried out across three categories including residential properties paying the minimum rate, which represents 25 per cent of residential properties in the Cairns Regional Council area.
A residential property (excluding strata and flats) with the median valuation within its own local government area and a strata title property paying the minimum rate – the latter representing 89 per cent of strata title properties the Cairns Regional Council area – were also measured.
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Originally published as Cairns Regional Council boasts lowest rates of comparable regions after benchmarking report
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