North Sydney to decide 19 January on new consultation
After a failed attempt to raise rates in 2025, North Sydney Council could once again apply to the regulator IPART for a special rate variation (SRV) by February this year.
On 19 January, council will have an extraordinary meeting to discuss putting a rate rise proposal out for consultation. This time the proposed maximum rate will be 54.18% – a drop from the 87% rejected by IPART in 2025.
The move comes as council announced in December it would spend $405,000 to extend the contract of consultants, as the pool handover was once again delayed. The $122 million pool was due for handover by contractor Icon by 5 January, however council’s consultant programmer suggests practical completion is more likely around mid-February. There have been numerous delays since construction of the pool began in 2021. Council will take two to three months to prepare the site for opening once it is completed.
At the 8 December meeting, a member of the public who addressed council said he had heard the pool would cost $147 million.
Council conducted a rate rise consultation which concluded on 3 December, with three options on the table. Option one is a ‘rate peg only’ increase of 10.33%; Options two and three have cumulative SVRs: 39.92% ($430 total increase over three years – generating $190 million over 10 years) and 54.18% ($578 increase – $278 million over 10 years). A permanent rate rise is also proposed, which would bring the minimum rate from $743 to $1,171 for option 2 over three years, and $1,216 under option 3.
Council said it had a $157 million infrastructure renewal backlog, which forced it to decide what to repair on a monthly basis dependent on the level of damage.
The results of the consultation will be published the week beginning 5 January, with a one hour public forum at 6pm before the 19 January meeting. The public forum separate from meetings is a new initiative required by the State Government, and members of the public will no longer be allowed to address council directly during sittings. Mayor Baker said many councils were ‘furious’ at the meeting code of practice changes proposed by the government, as it removed autonomy from councils to decide the best way for them to interact with their communities.