Yes! Its that time of year again, when councils determine the level of service and the projects it wishes to undertake in the next twelve months and therefore the rates that need to be collected. 

This year the services and programs we expect to approve will require rates to increase 4.95% and you can have your say about this.

The rate rise proposed is in keeping with what most councils appear to be determining, with a handful less than this and a few proposing more than this.

Unley Council has been deliberating for some time now and has had difficulty in determining the budget for this coming year. Expenses in some areas, like rubbish collection, water and electricity (all of which are significant contributors to our expenses have increased dramatically. Wages have risen under our enterprise bargaining from memory over 3%.

Another significant contributor will be the cost of running the upcoming council elections (budgeted at $172,000) which will consume approx. 0.5% of our total budget.

For a better understanding of where the funds we raise will be committed I suggest you check the Council Web Site. 

We have determined that we will maintain all existing service levels. Having said that we are examining all existing services to determine if they are still relevant today.

Continuing along from the initiatives we have seen over the last three years Goodwood South (soon to be renamed Clarence Park) rhave fared well again with some of the initiatives of what we will be getting for our rates, over and above the standard range of services including the following: