Dubbo households are set to pay more for rates, water, sewerage and waste services from July 1.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
Water and sewerage charges would each jump by 6 per cent and residents in some parts of the city would face an extra $100 on top of their annual bills, under the plan.
The suite of increases is proposed in a report on the draft budget for 2014-15 prepared by Dubbo City Council staff.
A balanced budget is projected for the next four years, but council general manager Mark Riley warned financial resources were "very tight".
The sewerage service charge will jump by 6 per cent from July 1 - higher than the official rate of inflation.
More than $51.4 million of capital works were required for sewerage in the next four years and it was proposed to use long-term borrowing and funds on hand, Mr Riley said in his report on the draft budget.
The increased charge was proposed in order to achieve the required amount of revenue to fund operating and capital costs.
Water charges will rise once again in the coming year, this time by a proposed 6 per cent.
The domestic waste charge is likely to increase by 3.05 per cent in the new financial year.
It was needed to provide the required revenue to fund the waste service, which included the weekly kerbside collection, the annual clean-up, the annual green waste clean-up and the fortnightly recycling collection service, Mr Riley said.
Rates will rise by 2.3 per cent, the maximum increase allowed by the Independent Pricing and Regulatory Tribunal (IPART).
The council provided a comparison of the current and proposed rates and charges for a Yarrawonga resident using 380 kilolitres of water - the city's average annual residential consumption.
The typical resident of the area would pay $15 more for rates, $61 more for annual charges and $41 more for water usage from July 1.
Councillors will meet on Monday at midday and subject to their approval the proposals will go on public exhibition from May 2 for 28 days.
Mr Riley said the draft operational plan and budget for 2014-2015 distributed the resources of the council in accordance with priorities identified in the Dubbo 2036 Community Strategic Plan.
"As can be ascertained from the various directors' reports attached, the financial resources of council are very tight and council needs to be mindful of this," he said.
"Should council wish to reallocate resources in line with the community's intentions, this would be the appropriate time to do so."
