REVEALED: Mackay Council fees and charges to increase

Fees and charges set to go up no more than 2 per cent

FEES: Council is set to increase fees and charges by no more than 2 per cent from July 1. Picture: Barry Leddicoat

COUNCIL fees and charges, which include everything from dog registration costs to the price of a grave, are set to rise from July 1.

Across the board, most fees will increase by about 2 per cent, although some fees will remain unchanged.

The increase is in line with the consumer price index.

Some fees have been removed completely, including entry fees to Sarina, Mackay and Pioneer Valley museums to encourage greater attendance.

The schedule was voted in at a council meeting on Wednesday.

The council has also introduced 33 new charges, due to "new services being identified” or as a restructure of existing fees, including a number of new fees relating to heavy vehicle parking and the soon to be introduced State Government container deposit scheme.

Mayor Greg Williamson said only six per cent of council's operating revenue was generated from fees and charges. "We have carefully analysed our costs and considered an across the board increase was a much fairer approach for ratepayers,” he said.

"The increase helps cover the rising costs of providing user pay services to our community.”

For example, the cost of exhuming a body will rise from $5120 to $5223, as will the cost of a burial plot, from $2600 to $2652.

Material change of use application costs will increase based on the type of submission.

"Mini” applications, which include a dwelling house and or residential storage shed, will remain at $995 while "large” applications, including tourism facilities and airports, will have costs increase from $8405 to $8570.

Tattoo artists will see their licence fees go up $6 per annum to $450, and any new tattoo artist can expect to pay $638 to apply for a licence.

Fees to register animals, including desexed dogs, cats, and pets owned by pensioners, will increase by about $1. Other changes include:

Entry fees to Memorial Swim Centre, Mirani Swim Centre, Pioneer Swim Centre and Sarina Pool: Unchanged

Exhumation: Increased to $5223 from $5120

Purchase of plot: Increased to $2652 from $2600

Burial of ashes in a plot: Increased to $184 from $180

Mirani Caravan Park site charges: Unchanged across the board

Entry to Pioneer Valley, Sarina and Mackay museums, including "super pass”: All charges scrapped

Library administration fees, including overdue books: Unchanged

Paget Waste Transfer Station charges:

Sedan or Station Wagon (Per Vehicle): No change

Utility Vehicle or Flat-Top (Per Vehicle): Increased to $15 from $14

Trailer (Per Trailer): Increased to $15 from $14

All Vehicle Combinations with a Gross Waste Mass over 1 Tonne (Per Tonne): Increased to $151 from $148

Asbestos disposed of by a resident (maximum amount 250 kg) due to EPA Legislation (Per Tonne): Increased to $439 from $430

Originally published as REVEALED: Mackay Council fees and charges to increase