Ballarat’s Mayor says officers offered no push back to the councillor groups proposal of a 0% average rate rise in the next budget.
The freeze means there’ll be $3.9m less revenue, but to temper that council has found $5.2m in savings.
The draft budget was adopted unanimously last night by all nine councillors at the June monthly meeting.
“Credit where its due, our staff have done an amazing job to look within the organisation to make those savings and efficiencies,” Mayor Cr. Tracey Hargreaves said.
“So that’s how we’ve been able to do it for one year.”
Meantime, whilst Ballarat council is spruiking its 0% average rate rise decision, how much you’ll pay for waste services has risen by close to 7%.
Council will deliver 14 waste and recycling services across the municipality which includes kerbside collections, management of transfer stations and landfill, street cleaning and eWaste disposal.
We’ll also get a Food Organics service and kerbside glass collection from November.
Mayor Hargreaves stressing that council only charges ratepayers what it costs council to deliver those services.
