By CAMERON LUCADOU-WELLS
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RATEPAYERS in Greater Dandenong face an average 4.98 per cent rise in rates after councillors last week defied a push for cuts to the 2012-13 budget.
On average, residential ratepayers will be charged an extra $49.09 – including a $20.20 garbage charge increase.
However, not every ratepayer will be affected equally. Due to rising property values, residential ratepayers in Bangholme face a massive 36.66 per cent rates rise.
On average, the properties were valued at $1.72 million and will be charged an extra $929 – opposite to the 2010 revaluation in which Bangholme’s average rates went down $1033.
Lyndhurst, Dandenong North and South, Keysborough, Noble Park North and Springvale South residential ratepayers will also face higher than average rates rises.
Greater Dandenong corporate services director Mick Jaensch estimated 30 per cent of residential ratepayers’ bills would not rise and 51 per cent would be charged a rise of less than 3 per cent.
He said commercial ratepayers and owners of vacant residential land faced the steepest rises.
At last Monday’s council meeting in Springvale, councillors Roz Blades, Peter Brown and Maria Sampey pushed to shelve $430,000 towards traffic lights at the intersection of Robinson Street and Princes Highway.
The cut would have shaved the average rate rise to about 4.5 per cent, and trimmed about $3.50 off the average rates increase.
They argued the funding was not yet required because VicRoads had not yet funded the remainder of the $2.3million project.
Cr Angela Long, who said she didn’t support any further cuts, asked if the next council would vote for an 8 per cent rate rise next year to make up for any cuts to this year’s capital works program.
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