RETIREES are urging Wyndham Council to follow two neighbouring municipalities by creating a differential rate for retirement villages.
As reported by the Weekly, the city’s three retirement villages have asked the council to consider as part of its 2012-13 budget a differential rate for their villages.
The draft budget recommends rates be increased by 5.5per cent next financial year.
The council last month knocked backed retirees’ request. Corporate services director Steven Lambert argued creating a differential rating system would shift the burden onto other ratepayers.
Residents of Point Cook, Tarneit Skies and Rose Grange retirement villages believe they should receive a discount because they do not use the same services as the rest of the community.
Point Cook Retirement Village residents’ committee member Noel Cook said Brimbank and Melton councils had a different rate for retirement villages.
He is asking the council for a 10per cent discount on rates. Wyndham has about 600 retirement village villas that each pay an average of $1000 a year in rates.
“The cost to the council would be $1150 per week. For that they don’t have to employ any staff or any services. Retirement villages provide all the services themselves,” Mr Cook said.
The villages are backed by the Retirement Village Association, which hopes to get differential rates introduced across the state.
Chief executive Andrew Giles said retirement village residents paid villages to provide services and facilities and then paid the council through their rates.
“Retirement village residents are a minimal drain on services in the community but they are in effect paying twice,” Mr Giles said.
“All of the facilities and services they use are funded by the village operators.”
Mr Giles said a rates discount would be beneficial to retirement village residents, many of whom were on fixed incomes. He said older residents were often considerably disadvantaged by rate rises.
The council will make its decision on Monday.
