More than 200 Shire of Capel rate payers have vowed to fight a rate increase which the council is expected to vote on Tuesday night.
Shire of Capel officers have recommended a single rate in the dollar of 8.1620 cents for all Gross Rental Value properties.
The item originally appeared before council on May 23, where councillor Michael Southwell moved to have it deferred for two weeks.
Since then a community meeting was held in Gelorup where more than 200 residents attended and raised their hands in opposition of the proposal.
Cr Southwell was at the public meeting and said it was ‘an outstanding proposal’ which shocked him when he first saw it.
Other councillors were at the meeting but declined to talk or answer questions, including president Murray Scott.
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The recommendation has asked council to approve changing the shire’s current rating system of differential rates to a rate in the dollar system.
This would mean the special rural zone will have the same rate as residential, urban development and town centre zones within the shire.
In order for this to occur it will see an increase of 28.63 per cent for special rural land owners and an 11.83 per cent increase for residential and urban development home owners.
The proposal also sees an increase to the minimum rate applied from $1269 in 2017/18 to $1345.
The rate in the dollar is done when Landgate values the Gross Rental Value of the property.
According to Landgate’s website the ‘rental values are influenced by factors like location, age of a building, size, the number of car shelters and if there is a pool. By analysing property rents against these attributes it is possible to assess a valuation for all properties.’
During the community meeting on May 30, Gelorup resident Neill Rowlandson said the shire did not provide services such as footpaths, street lighting, water and sewage to special rural residents and meant under the differential rating system would get a discounted rate.
“They are now deciding this doesn’t apply to us and there is no fairness or equity in that at all,” he said.
However, the June 5 agenda states ‘As ratepayers within this [special rural] zone have the same access to shire facilities as other residential properties, it is recommended to council that zone 12 be realigned with zones 1 and 3’.
Many residents stood up to speak about their concerns for the proposal with many asking what the extra money would be used for if the special rural residents weren’t getting extra services.
The agenda shows one of the reasons to adopt the new structure is because of major infrastructure projects which has been approved in the 2018 – 33 long term financial plan at a total cost of $12,295,904.
The projects include $250,000 to renovate recreational facilities in Boyanup, $3,588,676 to complete Capel Civil Precinct and $212,328 for youth facilities and multipurpose design in Dalyellup.
Resident Mike Hendry said many of the special rural residents were retirees on a fixed income and ‘there will be a time when we can’t afford to live here’.
The end of the public meeting saw an overwhelming amount of residents put their hands up against the proposal.
Mr Rowlandson said if the recommendation was approved, the next step would be to go to the State Administrative Tribunal which would cost the residents’ money.
Shire of Capel chief executive officer Paul Sheedy and president Murray Scott refused to comment on the issue before council made its decision at the June 5 special meeting.
