Lockhart Shire Council has expressed its disappointment at the Independent Pricing and Regulatory Tribunal’s decision not to approve its request for a special rate increase.
Council applied for permission to implement a cumulative rate increase of 4.6% per year for the next seven years, saying it wanted the money for swimming pool refurbishments, flood mitigation works and road restoration.
IPART found that council did not demonstrate a need for the requested increase, and the community was not made sufficiently aware of its full impact.
Chair Peter Boxall says with the council estimating it has a $4.2 million net cash balance, a zero infrastructure backlog and predicting surpluses over the next 10 years, the Tribunal found Council is likely to be able to fund the projects without a rate increase.