By JOHN VAN KLAVEREN
GEELONG’S council has increased user-pays fees and charges to minimise its rates increase, according to Mayor Keith Fagg.
Council’s lower-than-anticipated incease of 4.45 per cent was offset by an average rise of 4.6 per cent in fees and charges.
Weekly rates for childcare will rise 4.5 per cent or $17, with Ariston increasing to $402 and City Learning and Care to $397.
A 12-month leisure centre membership rises $52 to $920, desexed dog registration fees $7.25 to $48, parking fines $8 to $70 and a Queen’s Park golf course membership increases from $445 to $470.
Most fees at Corio Leisure and Barwon Valley Activity centres will rise five per cent.
Parking fees will remain $2 an hour, with budget figures showing an extra 35,000 hours of parking in central Geelong last financial year.
The parking volume increase demonstrated that more motorists were parking in the city centre.
Cr Fagg said council was aware many ratepayers were “doing it tough”.
“No one welcomes increases but we’ve tried to tighten up and be as responsible as we can,” he said.
“We wanted to make a statement to our ratepayers that we wouldn’t just accept the 4.9 rise that was planned. This has been a significant achievement by council.
“We wanted to keep the rate rise to a level people can live with across the board but we are facing increased costs in a number of areas.
“Those who aren’t using those services are not being lumbered with having to pay for them unreasonably.”
Cr Fagg said external forces were driving many of the cost increases.
The budget delivered funding for key community facilities while managing the effects of growth and external costs, he said.
“Geelong remains one of the fastest-growing regional centres in Victoria. Growth brings great opportunity but does present challenges in that the Council must ensure our services and facilities are spread wider to service an expanding population.”
“We have committed significant funds to pivotal community facilities, each designed to provide key services in rapidly growing parts of the municipality.”
