By Grace Jones | posted on July 25, 2019
ALBANY homeowners will be subjected to a 2.95 per cent rate increase this financial year after City councillors voted 10 to two in favour of the change on Tuesday night.
The 2019-20 budgeted rate rise is expected to raise $38.4 million in revenue with an additional $18.1 million raised from “fees and charges”.
The budget also includes a wage increase for Mayor Dennis Wellington and the City’s 12 councillors.
Mr Wellington’s wage will go from $135,915 to $137,269 annually, Deputy Mayor Greg Stocks will go from $53,625 to $54,117 annually, and councillors will receive $31,678 annually plus sitting costs and travel allowances.
Mayor Wellington, Cr Stocks and the remaining councillors are claiming the maximum allowable under the Local Government Act and were paid more than their counterparts in the City of Busselton and Bunbury in the last financial year.
During public question time, previous Albany councillor John O’Dea presented himself before council and said he was dismayed to see the City going “backwards” in terms of community awareness.
“When I was a councillor we knew exactly what was going on in our community and every query was answered,” he said.
“I don’t know if you know what is going on in your community.
“You’re too busy and you just don’t know. You need to be aware.”
Mr O’Dea said he thought people should not be paid more than what they were worth.
“I think the City of Albany is getting a bit top heavy and you need to cut costs,” he said.
“You need to bite the bullet and realise that we can’t afford to pay your rates.
“You have to cut costs and realise that the economy is going down, not up. You’re going backwards. We want things to start booming.”
The only other member of the public to speak on the budget, Val Green, read a short news article on rate rises in other areas across the state and asked Mayor Wellington if he would like to respond to it.
“No,” he said.
Recommendation One that included the rate rise was moved and seconded by councillors Emma Doughty and Paul Terry.
Cr Doughty said every time it came to rate rises the City would be compared to other councils.
“The analogy does not do justice what we do in the City of Albany,” she said.
Cr Doughty proceeded to rattle off in quick succession that the City was responsible for more than 1700km of road, 353km of pipe, 250km of pathways, maintained the National Anzac
Centre, the visitor centre, the airport, Centennial Precinct and more.
“The ramifications of not doing a rate increase would be devastating,” she said.
“The 2009-10 and 2010-11 budget had a rate increase of nine per cent.
“We understand the climate and acknowledge the increase may be difficult to deal with, and we take into account that hardships exist.
“But commercial businesses closing are not the responsibility of the City of Albany.
“We need fiscal responsibility to develop a better town.”
Cr Terry said he supported Cr Doughty’s statements and said there had been lots of social media comments in regards to the rate rise.
“Media are making councils into scapegoats,” he said.
“I have to wonder if it’s about driving extra traffic through their websites with click bait.
“The average rate payer pays roughly $2000 so the increase makes an extra $20, rural rate payers are quite a bit higher though.”
Council voted 10 to two on increasing rates with councillors Alison Goode and John Shanhun against.
When Recommendation Seven was brought forward that addressed an increase in sitting fees and allowances received by council members, Cr Terry said he was aware there had been some comments made in relation to the amount councillors and the mayor were allocated.
“I think we get paid quite reasonably for what we do,” he said.
“We give as much as we can and there was no increase last year.
“It’s only a one per cent increase which is a $4000 increase.”
Cr Goode proceeded to vote against the remaining seven budget recommendations and stayed silent when questioned by Cr Terry if she intended on voting for any of the recommendations.
“Please speak to the item and not Cr Goode, Cr Terry,” Mayor Wellington warned.
Council passed all recommendations 11 to one.
Mayor Wellington, Frederickstown Ward’s Cr Stocks, Kalgan Ward’s Bill Hollingworth, Yakamia Ward’s Anthony Moir, Vancouver Ward’s Cr Shanhun, Breaksea Ward’s Cr Terry, and
West Ward’s Sandie Smith’s terms all expire this year and are up for re- election in October.
