2015-06-29 Special Meeting Agenda

ATTACHMENT 5


                                                                                Council Policy
                                                                                     REVENUE

    Corporate Plan Reference:                   A sustainable Council

    Endorsed by Council:

    Policy Author:                              Director Corporate Services


POLICY BACKGROUND

Council is required to prepare and adopt a Revenue Policy in accordance with Section 193 of the
Local Government Regulation 2012. The purpose of this policy is to set out the principles used by
Council for:

    The levying of rates and charges;
    Granting concessions for rates and charges;
    The recovery of overdue rates and charges; and
    Cost recovery methods.

This policy applies to all areas identified in Section 193 of the Local Government Regulation 2012,
and will be used to guide Council in the development of the Revenue Statement for the 2015/16
financial year.


COUNCIL POLICY

This policy must be reviewed annually and in sufficient time to allow an annual budget to be adopted
that is consistent with the policy. Accordingly, the principles contained within this policy are applied
in the determination of the rates, fees and charges as detailed in the Revenue Statement.

Council levies rates and charges to fund the provision of specific services to our community. When
adopting its annual budget Council will set rates and charges at a level that will provide for both
current and future community requirements. Council will apply the principle of transparency in
making rates and charges.

General Rates

General rate revenue funds services not otherwise received through subsidies, grants, contributions
or donations from other entities, or not provided for by other levies or fees and charges. Council will
consider all cost recovery options before determining general rate revenue levels.

Council is required to raise an amount of revenue it sees as being appropriate to maintain and
replace assets and provide services to the region as a whole. In deciding how that revenue is raised,
Council has formed the opinion that a differential general rating scheme based primarily on land use,
provides the most equitable basis for the distribution of the general rate burden.

The rateable value for each property is the basis for determining the amount of the general rate
levied. Council recognises that significant valuation fluctuations may have an adverse effect on
pensioners, therefore Council has implemented a Deferment of General Rates Policy to provide
eligible pensioners with the opportunity to apply for a deferment of general rates.

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