City of Melville approves lowest rate rise in 20 years

THE City of Melville have ticked off on their lowest rate increase in 20 years at last night’s meeting.

The increase of 0.9 per cent compares favourably with other metropolitan councils, with the average sitting at about 2.2 per cent.

Among the key features of the budget is $11.5 million for works on City-owned buildings, including $3.2 million for the new library and cultural centre, $1.1 million for Melville City Centre Development Sites and $1.9 million for the LeisureFit Booragoon Leisure Pool refurbishment.

Just over $6 million has been put towards general road resurfacing while $4.8 million is planned for renewal and development of parks and foreshores, including $3.8 million for the upgrade of Shirley Strickland Reserve.

Two members of the public asked questions about why the value of the City’s assets had decreased, including its property, plant and equipment decreasing in value from $715,000,000 in the 2017-18 budget to $448,000,000 in the 2018-19 budget.

Mayor Russell Aubrey said a new valuer had been used and they had used a different methodology.

Chief executive Shayne Silcox previously said the rate increase in the dollar was the result of many hard decisions and long-term strategies put in place to achieve the “best possible result for ratepayers”.

“The 0.9 per cent rate increase, which equates to 1.2 per cent for an average residential property, well below the level of inflation, has not been achieved easily but it is the outcome the City has been working towards for a number of years,” he said.