By CAM LUCADOU-WELLS
CASEY Residents and Ratepayers Association has accused the council of putting its “head in the sand” over a decade of rates rises allegedly totalling about 90 per cent.
In its draft budget released on 25 May, the council announced a 3.47 per cent rate rise – 0.97 per cent above the state-imposed rates cap. It is subject to approval by the Essential Services Commission.
Ratepayers association spokesman Brendan Browne said the council wouldn’t acknowledge that “gross rates and charges” per assessment rose from $933 in 2006 to $1768 in 2015-16.
He said the rise was about 60 per cent above inflation.
“We want council to acknowledge that this is a large increase for residents to absorb and to withdraw their plans to increase rates beyond CPI again,” Mr Browne said.
“Casey has a high number of people experiencing mortgage stress or on relatively low incomes.
“Yet our rates are more than double that of some of the inner city municipalities, such as Stonnington.”
At a council meeting on 17 May, Mayor Sam Aziz defended the council’s desire to raise rates above the rates cap during a series of questions from the association.
He said it was an “absolute fallacy” that the $125 million Bunjil Place project had contributed to the plus-CPI rise.
“This will not impact on the rates base by one cent.”
The project was funded by a combination of cash reserves, a loan accounted for by previous and current budgets and a $10 million federal grant, he said.
In response to the claimed 90 per cent rates rise over the past 10 years, Cr Aziz said it wasn’t clear whether the association’s workings were based on an individual property or average property rates.
He said the rises included a large increase in the state’s landfill levy, street-lighting network charges, asset renewal as well as cost-shifting by the State Government.
Casey was one of few councils to refund ratepayers after the federal Carbon Tax was scrapped, he said.
At the end of the meeting Cr Aziz said it was “fascinating” that association members had left soon after throwing “hand grenades” in public question time.
“There’s a difference between people here to work and those who turn up to throw a hand grenade and leave.
“They asked a number of questions that I answered comprehensively then they leave.
“They are happy to criticise Casey but not to hang around and listen to all the good things being done in Casey.”
