WYNDHAM Council has again knocked back a request for differential rates for the city’s retirement villages. But it has vowed to help them lobby the Valuer-General to change the way villages are valued and rated.
As reported by the Weekly, the Point Cook, Tarneit Skies and Rose Grange retirement villages had asked the council to consider creating a differential rating system for the villages as part of its 2012-13 budget.
The request was denied when the budget was formally adopted by the council on Monday night.
The villages argued that residents should receive a discount because they did not use the same services as the rest of the community.
But a report to council stated that rates were a property tax and were not based on payment for services. “If council were to introduce a differential rate for ratepayers within retirement villages, it would in fact result in other residential ratepayers paying a higher contribution [cents in the dollar] and thus resulting in village residents being treated more favourably than other residents,” the report said.
Instead, the council agreed to work with the villages and the Retirement Village Association to convince the Valuer-General to change the way retirement village properties are valued.
The council said this would result in village residents being charged a more appropriate rate.
Local Government Minister Jeanette Powell said it was up to councils to set rates for retirement villages.
