The Mildura Rural City Council has promised to review its rating strategy in the next few months after farmers protested a 22.87 per cent hike in farm land rates at the annual budget meeting.
Chief executive officer Gerard Jose said work would start on the review, early in the new financial year.
“The review will guide how rates are calculated and applied, over a five year period,” Mr Jose said.
Mildura’s agricultural land rate is levied at 95pc of the general rate.
Last week, more than 80 people gathered in front of a B-double truck outside the council’s offices, ahead of this year’s budget meeting.
Ouyen grain grower Ian Hastings said while farmers were not happy the council had gone ahead with the rate rise, it now needed to act.
“We constantly have complaints about the condition of our rural roads,” Mr Hastings said.
“We only need the slightest trigger to get us grumpy.
“We don’t feel as they know us, or look after us – they don’t seem to understand the consequences of their actions.”
He said the rate differential needed to be changed, to reflect revaluations of the capital improved value of land.
‘You can’t lock it in for a period of years,” Mr Hastings said.
“There has to be a way to compensate for changes in rateable levels of each category.”
He said the increase in land values varied enormously, across the council area.
“We do understand the rate increase is purely due to the increase in capital improved value.
“But they could have balanced that up, by shifting some of the burden back onto other sectors.”
Mr Hastings said while the council had not changed its mind, representatives were now better informed.
“We’ve achieved the fact they realise the implications of inaction and a lack of knowledge about what farmers are being put through.”
But he said the council was on notice that if the problem was not solved, in the August review, further action would be taken.
“There is a lot of anger and some people are, at this point in time, determined to withhold the increase,” Mr Hastings said.
“We are out there, we are serious, we have the ability to withhold the rate increase and will do it.”
Mildura mayor Mark Eckel said it was a statutory requirement to review the rating system.
But he said protesting, on the night of the budget meeting, was unlikely to change the council’s mind.
“We have a 28-day review, before the budget is adopted, where people have the opportunity to come forward and make submissions,” Councillor Eckel said.
He said he’d been told farmers had been tied up, working on their properties, and were unable to put in submissions.
“I asked the question (on budget night) why didn’t the Victorian Farmers Federation approach farmers and say, ‘can we put a submission for you?”
“There was no value at all coming out and protesting the week of the budget and thinking you are going to get a change.
“That’s a tall order.
“The issue was that they didn’t come forward, until after the 28 days had expired.
“We had one submission and it wasn’t on farming.”
Cr Eckel said he fully understood farmers had the right to protest.
“They have angst, that’s the best way to bring it forward.”
But he said council had received a clear message, which it understood.
‘I also understand the circumstances around business, which is paying 120pc of the residential rate.”
He said it was an individual’s choice, as to whether or not they withheld paying rates.
But he said legal action would be taken against those who didn’t pay.
