Farmers win
RESIDENTS of Bass Coast Shire Council have agreed to give farmers a 20 per cent discount on their rates.
In return, farmers should contribute to the municipality in the ways the wider community expects, councillors said on Wednesday night.
Council agreed to an 80 per cent farm differential rate at its ordinary meeting in Cowes when the 2015-16 rating strategy was discussed and adopted.
The farm differential shifts approximately $700,000 of rate burden to other properties, which equates to an approximate increase of $23 per average property.
Mayor Cr Kimberley Brown said the feedback council received during the consultation process showed the community valued the amenity the farming sector created and farming’s positive impact on lifestyle and tourism.
“Providing a differential rate for the farming sector would contribute to protection of rural landscape and amenity, whilst also providing direct support for the agricultural sector which is an important economic driver in the community,” Cr Brown said.
“Additionally, benchmarking we’ve undertaken shows that a farm differential is a common approach taken by other rural councils.”
Cr Brown said the rating strategy was the subject of a discussion paper prepared by the CT Management Group, which helped council with the community consultation process, in conjunction with the long term financial plan.
The new strategy also includes a general rate and a waste service charge, making the farm differential rate the only change to previous years.
“Whilst the introduction of an environment service charge, as identified in the discussion paper, is not proposed at this time, the strategy does support such a charge in principal,” Cr Brown said.
“Accordingly, the rating strategy proposes the introduction of this charge be considered during the preparation of the 2016-17 council budget.”
Cr Clare Le Serve acknowledged people who had contributed to council’s decision to adopt a farm differential rate.
“I’d like to thank the rural engagement group and the VFF working group,” she said.
Cr Le Serve said more people than just farmers had pushed for a farm differential rate.
“This lobby hasn’t just come from the farmers,” she said.
“People are saying we do like the paddocks and all the farms around us. In the future we could even consider going lower for the farming community.”
Cr Neil Rankine said farmers should acknowledge the support they had received.
“I would encourage the farming community to recognise the wider community has agreed to subsidise you,” he said.
Cr Rankine said he asked farmers to consider contributing to local organisations such as the Country Fire Authority (CFA) and to make sure their farms gave the “clean, green” image the wider community expected.
Victorian Farmers Federation Bass Coast branch president Neville Chapman of Glen Alvie, who took part in council’s rural engagement group, said he was “very happy” with the result.
“It’s a step in the right direction,” he said.
“It’d be an insult not to accept it now in good grace. But it’s not the end of the war.”
Cr Bradley Drew said he supported the 80 per cent farm differential rate.
“We are, by doing this, taking a step towards the farmers in our community,” he said.
“I look forward in the future to the farming community taking a step towards us, too.”
Farm discount: pleased with the 80 per cent farm differential rate in Bass Coast shire are, from left, Len McRae of Kongwak, Bill Cleeland of Phillip Island, Des McRae of Wonthaggi and Neville Chapman of Glen Alvie. Mr Chapman is president of the Bass Coast branch of the Victorian Farmers Federation.
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Posted by Tayla Kershaw on Apr 21 2015. Filed under Featured, News. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0. You can leave a response or trackback to this entry
