A 13.24 per cent rate rise will allow council to undertake more than $6 million in work on parks, pools, sports grounds, roads, footpaths and traffic in the coming year.

Wingecarribee Shire Council this week adopted its general rates for the next year based on the general 9.5 per cent rate increase and a special 3.74 per cent levy to continue the Wingecarribee Our Future Environment (WOFE) program.

The actual rate rise is 8.9 per cent on the previous year, since the WOFE program has been funded by a 4.51 per cent levy over the past five years.

Minister for Local Government, Paul Lynch has also approved a 9.5 per cent rate increase for 2009, 2010 and 2011.

At an extraordinary meeting of council on Wednesday, director of corporate services Barry Paull said the special rate variation would increase vital funding for council’s Infrastructure Renewal Strategy (IRS) from $4.6 million a year to $11.1 million a year.

“The IRS program has, since its inception in 2003/04, injected an additional $14.66 million into infrastructure works over the last five years,” he said.

‘The program of works over the next five years will now provide an additional $45.3 million for infrastructure maintenance and improvement works.”

The WOFE levy will fund works totalling $739,682, including river and creek restoration, a litter reduction campaign, Bushcare, bushland and roadside maintenance, pest animal control, the community nursery, and vegetation conservation.

For the full story see the Southern Highland News, Friday, July 18

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