The Board unanimously agrees to request a special rate variation | Liberal Daily

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Dubbo Regional Council has unanimously agreed to seek a permanent special change to its rates for 2022/23. An additional one-time payment of $642,574 of income will be received if the special variation is approved. The Independent Pricing and Regulatory Tribunal (IPART) has indicated that it will accept and deal with an additional round of ASV 2022/2023 applications from advice. DRC Chief Executive Murray Wood said the extra revenue they receive will go towards road maintenance activities. Councilor Joshua Black said it was important for community ratepayers to understand that the possible 2.3% rate hike is what “keeps the lights on and the potholes filled”. Cr Pamella Wells was very pleased to hear that the funding would go to Dubbo Roads. “I welcome the additional funds for the roads, given the weather systems we’ve had over the past 12 months, it’s a good thing to see,” she said. Mr Wood said IPART had worked with the state government to create a single price cap. “IPART normally doesn’t change the rules,” he said. “With a rate increase of 2.3%, it does not mean that individuals will increase and regardless of population growth, the cake can only grow by 2.3%.” LEARN MORE: The rate anchor of 0.70% will reduce the level of funding available for the maintenance of essential assets and the provision of community services in future years. In a report by Dubbo Regional Council’s Director of Organizational Performance, Dean Frost, he said that due to the “uncertain economic climate in 2020, Dubbo Regional Council took a cautious approach and used a rate of 2 .3%, including the population growth factor, in the adopted the long-term financial plan 2021-22.” For the financial year 2022/2023, the rate anchor of the Dubbo Regional Council, as advised by the IPART, is 0.7% and this is estimated to be about $642,574 less than if the rate anchor had been 2.3%. “A fixed rate of 0.7% will provide about $270,000 additional funding to Council to maintain critical community infrastructure gross of $1.882 billion, being infrastructure held solely in the general fund, and expected increase in insurance and electricity costs 2022/2023 alone will probably be double the amount of the attachment of the rate, if not more,” the report said. Our reporters work hard to provide local, up-to-date news to the community. Here’s how you can continue to access our trusted content:

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