FEBRUARY 16, 2016 \ STARWEEKLY.COM.AU
NEWS + SPORT + PROPERTY GUIDE
Hail, cereal defenders
(Kristian Scott)
Katherine, 8, Ravjeet, 11, and Chloe, 9, love a big bowl of cereal in the mornings. Adding friends, giggles and happy chats makes for a winning combo. The Melton South Primary School pupils are eager to get to school a little bit earlier than usual to be part of the newly formed Breakfast Club. School chaplain Tina Matana hopes the club will instil in pupils a lifelong love of healthy breakfasts. “Students taking part in the school breakfast program not only experience the physical benefits but also the positive social and educational aspects of the program,” Ms Matana said. The Breakfast Club is funded by the state government and will convene on Tuesdays and Thursdays in the school’s gymnasium. Sumeyya Ilanbey
Council signals rate pain Moorabool residents may have to pay average rates of up to $1960 next financial year if the council applies to have a new rate cap lifted. Victoria Local Government Minister Natalie Hutchins announced last year a cap on general rates of 2.5 per cent for the 2016-17 financial year, in line with the consumer price index. But Moorabool council forecasts showed a 2.5 per cent increase could produce a loss of up to $900,000 in its first year and even higher losses in the next decade, meaning cuts to services and a deterioration of assets. Councils can apply to the Essential Services
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Commission for rate cap variations, which may be granted if they meet key criteria. Moorabool councillors considered three options for a higher cap on rates at a special meeting at Ballan last week. The three proposed options were: to cap the rates at 2.5 per cent for the first year; to lift them to 4.15 per cent in the next three years; or to raise rates to 3.5 per cent in the next three years and increase other fees and charges under a “user-pays” model. It is the last of the three options that would involve an average residential rate of $1960. Council chief executive Rob Croxford said a rate rise remained necessary despite council’s efforts to tighten its purse strings.
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“Working within the confines of the cap would present significant challenges for the way council continues its business of delivering high-quality services to residents,” he said. Council has already moved to reduce operating, management and overhead costs by implementing a program of service reviews and looking at sharing services with other organisations. “Despite these efforts to contain costs, under a rate cap of 2.5 per cent, council is forecast to produce underlying losses over its 10-year financial plan,” Mr Croxford said. He said the next step would involve extensive engagement with the community on rate-cap options.
Cr Tonia Dudzik asked the meeting how the council would ensure ratepayers were able to make informed choices in the subsequent survey. “If you ask ratepayers if they want a rates increase they will say no,” she said. “How can we make it clear to them that these are the reasons we need to increase rates?” Mr Croxford said that as the survey was a first for the council, there would be a significant cost covering about 20 to 30 hours in paperwork as well as the cost of engaging telephone surveyors. “These are uncharted waters so it’s something we’ll have to deal with in a few months’ time,” he said.
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By Esther Lauaki