BUSINESS owners in Bunbury’s Halifax industrial area have made an impassioned plea to the City of Bunbury to consider their struggle in light of hefty proposed rate rises.
More than 120 people turned out at a public meeting called to give the mixed business and industrial sectors a chance to raise concerns about the proposal to change to a single rate system.
The change means an increase of more than 50 per cent for many ratepayers and a nine per cent increase in revenue for the City.
Yesterday a petition with more than 300 signatures was delivered to the City, calling on council to hold a special elector’s meeting to discuss the detrimental effect of the change.
Halifax Crane Hire owner Nick DeMarte said the industrial area had been forgotten about over the years and businesses were suffering as a result.
“At the time when people started investing in the area it was sold to us as a glamorous business park, but that vision has not come to fruition,” Mr DeMarte said.
“We needed to have it opened up like Bibra Lake, with medical centres and accountants’ offices to activate the area.”
Mr DeMarte said the area was riddled with issues including insufficient parking and water flow as well as flooding.
“The potential of the area is huge but there has not been enough interest shown in its development – the end result is that people are going to move their businesses out and end up in Australind and Eaton,” he said.
“We can’t understand why we should have to accept this huge rate increase when we haven’t been looked after.”
Mayor Gary Brennan told the Bunbury Mail there were more than 16,000 rateable properties in the city across mixed business, industrial and residential.
“Every ratepayer contributes to the total operating and capital costs incurred by the City council in providing services,” he said.
“I believe the majority of ratepayers understand they contribute to our libraries, the sports centre, the regional entertainment centre, the regional art gallery, Hay Park and other sporting fields, car-parking, footpaths and events such as Australia Day, to name a few.”
Mayor Brennan said a special elector’s meeting would be convened in coming weeks.
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