Rates bill rises $34

By Shaun Inguanzo
AFTER weeks of delays, Greater Dandenong Council finally has a budget.
Residents will receive an average $34 rate rise after councillors changed a draft rate rise from 6.5 to 5.8 per cent.
The business rate rise will also drop, from 10 per cent to 8.5 per cent.
This week’s budget adoption was unanimous, unlike last week’s special council meeting where two budgets were rejected in one night, with councillors then agreeing to reconsider the first budget they rejected.
The budget defers the purchase of $2 million of land in Springvale to the next financial year, cuts almost $100,000 of funding from the Community Grants program, cuts $295,000 from the City Improvement Program and, according to council staff, will wipe out a $3 million overdraft.
But councillors Roz Blades and Yvonne Herring, while voting for the budget, said they were disappointed the budget was not better.
Cr Blades said she still believed the rate rise could have been lower, while Cr Herring said the city would miss out on city improvements.
Mayor Peter Brown said this year’s budget was focused on keeping rates down.
“We really wanted to keep rate rises to a minimum while still being able to deliver on important community services and infrastructure upgrades, and to restructure council’s finances to avoid liquidity problems,” he said.
Ratepayers can expect notices by the end of July.