THE BYRON SHIRE
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Volume 31 #26 Wednesday, December 7, 2016
www.echo.net.au Phone 02 6684 1777 editor@echo.net.au adcopy@echo.net.au 23,200 copies every week
Loads of Christmas ideas pages 26-39
T H E F L AT E A R T H S O C I E T Y H A S M E M B E R S F R O M ALL AROUND THE GLOBE
CAB AUDIT
Trading Trump: another round in S Sorrensen’s My son’s horses: the fight between science life as a West Papuan Mungo – p10 and la-la-land – p13 comedian – p16 ordeal – p17
Online in netdaily Tweed-Byron the state’s most dangerous place to drive www.echo.net.au/tweed-byronstates-dangerous-place-drive
GM maintains hard Happy birthday Feather line on rate rise Hans Lovejoy
Calls from local Country Labor Party branch members to crack down on holiday letting, increase commercial rates and raise paid parking in certain areas to address the Shire’s ailing road infrastructure have been rejected by Council’s general manager Ken Gainger as an inadequate revenue source. Additionally Mr Gainger claims that most of the Shire’s roads ‘service ratepayers rather than visitors.’ Council staff are suggesting dramatic rate rises to pay for infrastructure via a Special Rate Variation (SRV) that, if approved by councillors, could see a massive 60 per cent cumulative increase across the board over four years.
Special rate v levy
And while the Local Government Act (1993) allows councils to implement a special rate, the GM argues that a special rate ‘is not a levy per se,’ and would still not be enough to address the funding shortfall. NSW Labor’s shadow minister for local government, Peter Primrose MLC, told The Echo special rates can be created under section 495 of the Act. Mr Primrose called it a ‘betterment levy,’ and said, ‘These levies (also known as special assessments) are direct charges on owners of select properties to pay for infrastructure or services that benefit their properties.’ But Mr Gainger told The Echo, ‘[A special rate] is based on the
Council levying a special or higher rate upon a certain class of properties or a specific precinct because of extraordinary/special circumstances – but it is a rate nonetheless. Levying a special rate is not a solution to Council’s funding problems, because if we levy a special rate on some properties, other properties pay less and the overall rates funding pool (called the notional yield) remains the same. ‘It is this rates funding pool that we need to increase through a special rate variation (SRV). ‘The fundamental problem for Council is the need to grow its rates revenue base beyond that allowed by rate pegging. The only way it can do that is via a Special Rate Variation (SRV) application to the Independent Pricing and Regulatory Tribunal (IPART). ‘We shouldn’t confuse the levying of a “Special Rate” with a SRV. A SR is merely the apportionment of a greater portion of the current overall rate yield to a particular class of property or a precinct. It derives no additional revenue for Council.
Recurrent source ‘A SRV, if successful, generates a substantial (multimillion-dollar) and recurrent source of new revenue which we badly need to fund a sustained reduction in our infrastructure backlog. ‘Similarly, the creation of an “investment arm” of Council would add another layer of recurrent cost that we do not need, given our continued on page 5
For 12 years, Byron’s inspirational hippy/Goddess of Grace, Feather, has volunteered at the homeless breakfast kitchen in Byron. Last Thursday she celebrated her 80th birthday with friends. Fellow volunteer Gwen Gould says of Feather: ’At 80, she still dances in the street, drums an almighty beat, swims daily and works here to help feed the less well off. You don’t see her out front; she’s in the kitchen sporting a colourful mini-skirt, high heels, flowers in her hair and goggles to peel the onions’. Many happy returns, Feather! Photo Jeff Dawson
Suffolk Park sportsfield saved Luis Feliu
Suffolk Park residents will keep their sportsfield from a government selloff after Byron Shire Council successfully negotiated to purchase the Beech Drive education-owned land for $900,000. The announcement comes after a vocal community campaign and calls from Council, NSW Labor and Greens Ballina MP Tamara Smith, who said the community – ie Council – should not have had to foot the bill. In a joint media announcement
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mine the preferred uses of the site. Suffolk Park Progress Association vice-president Patsy Brosnan told The Echo locals were ‘absolutely delighted that our community’s effort has paid off.’ ‘Intense lobbying plus the wonderful community rally showed the state government we have something worth fighting for,’ Ms Brosnan said. ‘We must thank Byron Shire Council for purchasing the land with a portion of our allocated Section 94 contributions, plus Ben Franklin MLC for his community continued on page 3
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last week, Greens mayor Simon Richardson and north coast Nationals MLC Ben Franklin said they had worked closely to achieve an outcome that would contribute to the ‘wellbeing and connectivity’ of the family suburb for generations to come. Cr Richardson said the site, which was no longer required for education and had been put up for sale, would now be designated ‘community land’ and retained in perpetuity for community use. It will be subject to a plan of management consultation with the Suffolk Park community to deter-
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