All options on the table as council faces $3.6m deficit

Ballina Shire ratepayers face steep rate increases as the council grapples with growing demands for infrastructure and services while facing a $3.6m forward deficit.

Councillors last Thursday received a briefing from the independent head of the council audit committee, Mr Colin Wight, who described the shire budgetary position as “unsustainable”.

Mr Wight, told councillors they had had three possible options; cutting spending, offloading the airport, or increasing rates. 

Having spent more than an hour at the last council meeting debating whether to delay roads and footpath works, the councillors were in no mood for cuts.

Independent councillors voted unanimously for the General Manager to investigate options for selling or leasing the airport and applying to the NSW Government for a special rate variation.  Greens Party-aligned councillors were absent for the decision, which will go to next week’s monthly meeting for final ratification. 

A report prepared by council’s finance team canvassed a rate increase as high as 23 percent – an amount staff say would still keep rates below Byron and Tweed shires. With annual NSW Government rate rises on top of that, BSC ratepayers could see their rates go up by more than 30 percent over the next few years. 

Lowest Rates on the Coast

Having campaigned on the virtue of Ballina Shire having the “lowest rates on the coast” in recent years, Mayor Sharon Cadwallader said she believed that reputation could still be maintained with a “modest” rate rise.  

“With the cost of living crisis hitting pensioners and families hard, now is not the time for big increases,” Cr Cadwallader said. 

“I will continue to push back against reckless spending proposals, like the recent decision to look at adding to council bureaucracy by hiring a youth officer – clearly the responsibility of state government.  Cost shifting from state and federal government to local councils has got to stop.  I was the only councillor to vote against this, knowing how serious our budgetary position was.”

SES Building approved 

Despite the budget challenges, Mayor Cadwallader said there were many great improvements for the shire planned for the coming year.  

General Manager Paul Hickey praised the Mayor for successfully lobbying the Premier to secure $1.7m funding towards the new Ballina SES Command Centre, allowing tenders to now be called.

Other highlights include the Alstonville Cultural Centre rebuild and a new carpark and connector path for Pat Morton Lookout plus renewed carparks for the Alstonville pool and Geoff Watt Oval in Deegan Drive.