A TARNEIT resident is concerned Wyndham Council’s plan to review its rating strategy in the lead-up to 2014-15 will do nothing to help ratepayers in the city’s urban growth zone.
The council last month resolved to establish an advisory group to help review the municipality’s rating strategy but says it won’t be completed in time for its next budget.
The group will comprise residential, commercial and rural ratepayers.
The review was prompted by complaints from landowners in Wyndham’s north whose properties were moved inside the urban growth boundary in 2010, meaning they could eventually be sold to developers for a higher price.
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The move meant property prices soared during last year’s revaluations. Some residents were issued with rates notices up to 700 per cent higher than in 2011.
Silvana Agis, whose parents own land in the urban growth zone, said the decision to amend the rating strategy by 2014 was not good enough. Her parents appealed their land valuation and rates notice and had their property revalued late last year. Ms Agis said that while the value of her parents’ land fell a few hundred thousand dollars, their rates had yet to be altered.
In a report to council, corporate services director Steven Lambert said the revaluation of properties in 2014 would allow the advisory group to make thorough and fair representations to the council.
Acting chief executive Maurice Stabb said waiting until 2014 to amend the rating strategy would not unfairly impact on residents.
Mr Stabb said that as of January 9, 41 landowners had their land valuations adjusted while 17 had objections disallowed. Fifty-nine objections were yet to be finalised.
He did not answer questions about how many landowners had their rates adjusted.
Wyndham Council will hold six workshops between February and April to begin collecting information for its rating review. More details: 9742 0777.
