REDLAND City Council Deputy Mayor Julie Talty has urged local homeowners struggling to pay their rates to reach out to council officersand request payment plans to avoid further financial stress.
Her advice follows last week’s Council Budget which handed local homeowners a 5.51 per cent increase in rates.
“Cost-of-living pressures are taking an effect across all business and home budgets – council has in place interest-free payment plans and support measures for ratepayers finding it hard to make ends meet,” Cr Talty (Division 6 Ward) said.
“The most important thing to say is don’t leave it to build up, talk to the rating officers who will be very understanding and can ensure no-interest payment plans that can be managed are put in place without adding to financial stress.”
Having spent much of her life in the Redlands and experiencing the annual Christmas Carols event, Cr Talty blasted Council’s decision last week to axe the hugely popular community event six months before it was scheduled.
“I believe the Christmas event serves a greater purpose in community and resilience building and should have been permitted to continue, even if the new Mayor wanted to take stock after a proper review and seeing the event in action for the community,” Cr Talty said.
“Council is trying to put a positive spin on this decision, but the ‘wider Christmas event’ touted to replace this, as far as I have been able to garner, is nothing more than what is normally done.
“That means logging other organisations’ local Christmas events in a ‘trail’ and telling people to go to theirs.
“This means Council contributes nothing extra to acknowledge the pressure being put on not-for-profits who carry the extra load of attendees, and I cannot support that.”
While Cr Talty said she “did not support many of the decisions reflected within this Budget”, she acknowledged that it included necessary funding for vital local infrastructure projects.
“This Budget includes measures to ensure the necessary local infrastructure will, as much as possible, keep up to maintain the service levels and needs of the local community,” she said. “I did not support many of the decisions reflected within this Budget, but I do recognise that Council must keep up under pressure.”
