Farmers call for rate boycott at Tambar Springs meeting

Frustration was high at Tambar Springs special rate variation community consultation last week.

About 20 ratepayers and landholders attended the meeting about Gunnedah Shire Council’s rate rise proposal.

Following a presentation about the rate change, which is proposed to increase by 38.88 per cent over two years, the floor was opened to questions.

Many in attendance were frustrated by already high rates and a lack of existing services available for landholders.

Tambar sits at the far southern boundary of the Gunnedah shire where most ratepayers run farming businesses.

The average ‘farmland’ ratepayer in the Gunnedah shire is expected to pay an extra $538 under the SRV, or $5875 in total rates. But some in the Tambar area said they were paying much more.

Greg Broughton said he pays about $50,000 in rates and expects to be slugged an extra $17,000 if the SRV is introduced.

As a rural ratepayer, he explained how he rarely, if ever, uses many of the 77 services which the SRV is designed to help fund such as libraries, sporting fields, street lighting, stormwater drainage or arts and cultural facilities.

Mr Broughton said the only service which was applicable to him – roads and bridges – wasn’t being maintained adequately anyway.

“I’ve seen no improvement to my road and now we’re looking at another 40 per cent and it’s probably going go into town again,” he said.

His frustration was echoed by a

fellow audience member who also acknowledged the lack of services available for landholders despite paying the highest rates.

“It’s a bit rich for farmers to support everything in town when we don’t get anything out here,” she said.

Gunnedah Shire Council representatives conceded that due to how rate charges are calculated – based on land value – there would be a big discrepancy between the SRV increase for residential landowners, and business and farmland ratepayers.

Fellow landholder Grahame Pryor was also among those in attendance at the Tambar Springs meeting.

“We don’t want your 38 per cent rate increase,” he said to rousing applause.

Mr Pryor runs an 1800-acre mixed cropping and cattle property on Trinkey Forest Road.

Until recently, he said the condition of the gravel road was so poor, truck drivers refused to travel it.

“It was that crook, some truckies wouldn’t come and pick up the produce,” he said.

Mr Pryor also voiced his

frustration at the spending in town on capital projects such as the overbudget Gunnedah Saleyards redevelopment and new koala sanctuary.

“I think there needs to be much more accountability about how council spends its money,” he said.

Council representatives clarified that construction of these projects are funded from different sources and are unable to supplement maintenance costs expected to be covered by the SRV.

As the audience focus turned to SRV alternatives, Mr Broughton suggested an outright boycott of rate charges.

“We need to collectively say enough is enough,” he said.

“All our farmers have had a gutful.

“The system is not working.”

Asked what would happen if no additional revenue was obtained such as via the SRV, council representatives said the organisation would be forced into insolvency.

To which Mr Broughton quipped: “We might go insolvent on a 40 per cent increase”.

Make it a ‘user pays’ system

One suggestion put forward at the Tambar Springs SRV consultation meeting was to vary the distribution of the rate increase.

Instead of every ratepayer in the Gunnedah shire paying an extra 38.88 per cent as is proposed, it was proposed that some could pay more and others less based on expected use of council services.

Tambar meeting attendee Greg Broughton suggested a “user pay” system for council services.

“Let’s come up with a user pay system and if you don’t use it, such as the pool, don’t pay for it,” he said.

Others in the audience suggested mining ratepayers should be paying a greater share of contributions.

Council said five mining properties are listed in the Gunnedah shire and the average mining rate paid is about $331,000.

Over the two-year implementation of the SRV, the average cumulative increase for Gunnedah mining ratepayers would be about $122,400.

Gunnedah Shire Council representatives said “everything is on the table” during the public consultation process and they would welcome all submissions from the entire community.