An investigation into reductions in Dubbo Regional Council fees will be undertaken by the NSW Shadow Minister for Local Government.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
Peter Primrose has contacted council to release information on all Section 94 Contributions that have been reduced since the amalgamation in May 2015.
“A number of people from the Dubbo area have come to me with concerns about Section 94 Contributions being reduced,” Mr Primrose said.
“I have no way of knowing if that is justified or not, but I have put some questions to the Minister for Planning [Anthony Roberts] and the Minister for Local Government [Gabrielle Upton] seeking information.”
Section 94 contributions are calculated based on the gross floor area of a development and the number of trips it generates. In the 2016/17 financial year the rate is calculated at about $512 per trip. The fees are used to fund and enhance traffic infrastructure where needed.
Concerns have been raised about the community missing out on improved infrastructure due to the developers paying less, or nothing, for their Contributions.
The most recent reduction in the Section 94 Contributions was earlier this month when a cotton storage facility saw its fees slashed by more than $400,000.
The reduction was made as the initial calculations for the number of trips to the development was proven to be too high.
At this stage, Mr Primrose said he did not know if the issue raised by the members of the public was justified. He said he was gathering the information before any decisions were made.
“If there is no concern, I’ll let the issue go, otherwise I’ll take the issue up further with the appropriate authorities,” he said.
“I will have some obligation then to raise the matter with investigative agencies.”
Mr Primrose said he had not raised the issue with the Dubbo Regional Council or administrator Michael Kneipp directly.
In his two years as Shadow Minister for Local Government the contributions had not been an issue he had been asked to look into before, Mr Primrose said.
If there is no concern, I’ll let the issue go, otherwise I’ll take the issue up further with the appropriate authorities.
- Peter Primrose