An increase to the Gross Rental Value for City of Bunbury residential homes is expected to see an average 8.2 percent overall rate increase for the 2022/23 year.
The City of Bunbury council debated a potential rate yield increase of 8.6 percent which was recommended by city officers at its June 7 meeting.
The council instead approved a 5 percent increase and for the chief executive officer to amend the 2022/23 budget accordingly.
City of Bunbury acting mayor Tresslyn Smith said the decision was made because council recognised the need to reduce expenditure.
"That might mean finding cutbacks or savings," she said.
However, the rate yield increase is different to the individual rate rise which also takes into account the Gross Rental Value of the home.
The GRV is evaluated every three years, but has been extended out to a five year gap due to COVID-19.
City officers provided preliminary figures of what the GRV average increase would be, which starts from July 1, 2022.
The report estimates that with a yield increase of five percent, ratepayers can expect to see an average increase of $131 or 8.2 percent to the next rate bill.
The Mail put a call out to Bunbury residents on social media about how the increase would impact them.
The majority of answers were concerned about the increase and what their money was going towards.
"The question should be, what will we be getting for our extra money? Bunbury City Council seem to have the ability to make "changes" that need to be redone 10 years later because they were badly designed or built," Terry Stanner posted.
"Bunbury City Council is one of the dearest areas to live in throughout Australia....how can they justify another rise?" Kay Ralph said.
Cr Smith said while the 5 percent increase was high, it came off the back of council freezing rates in 2020-21 followed by a 2.5 percent increase in 2021-22.
"The City continues to face the challenges of providing regional infrastructure and facilities with a relatively slow rising ratepayer base," she said.
"We know our community is doing it tough, and it's more important than ever that local government provide the infrastructure and services to move forward from what has been some of our most challenging years.
"The City remains committed to providing flexible payment options for its community, anyone doing it tough is encouraged to contact the City to discuss their options."
