Margs rates stable at 4%

Rate rises will stay at 4 per cent annually for the next 10 years after an update to the Shire of Augusta-Margaret River's long-term financial plan, despite calls last year for a drop to 3 per cent.

The updated plan was adopted by councillors last Wednesday night, despite debate among councillors about the rates.

Councillor Lyn Serventy, who moved last year that councillors consider dropping the rate increase, told the _Times _this week she was disappointed the group could not see a way to "bring the figure down".

Cr Serventy said councillors not only had to consider the needs of the residents, but also those of visitors to the region.

"Having a big tourist pop- ulation, it places enormous financial pressure on us to provide services probably greater than would be provided if we just had our residents to consider," she said.

The updated plan showed a property growth rate of 1.2 per cent for the eight months to February this year on last year's budget figures, and was expected to rise to 2 per cent as the financial year came to a close. At a meeting last week, Cr Neville Veitch said he did not think the council should give up on the idea of lowering the rate increase and said the Shire should go back to "actual budgets".

Cr Kim Hastie said he was concerned about the imbalance of spending between Margaret River and other parts of the community, including Augusta.

"The imbalance of capital expenditure is outright and an insult to the people of Augusta and other parts of the Shire," he said.

If the council had dropped the annual rate increases to 3 per cent annually, it would have been 1.5 per cent lower than forecast in the 2013 plan.

Having a big tourist population, it places enormous financial pressure on us to provide services probably greater than would be provided if we just had our residents to consider. Councillor Lyn Serventy