One more time: North Sydney councillors vote to pursue 52 percent rate hike

Residents once again packed into North Sydney Council Chambers on Monday evening, as councillors voted to increase rates across the LGA by 52 percent over three years.

What happened: In an application sent to the Independent Pricing and Regulatory Tribunal (IPART), North Sydney Council will ask to raise local council rates significantly over a period of three years.

Recap: What is IPART?

• IPART is the NSW state body that determines whether the rates charged by local government are fair. 

• Each year, local councils across the state are allowed to increase their rates by a set amount — called a “rate peg” — determined by IPART. This is to account for factors such as inflation and population change.

• If councils wish to increase their rates beyond this amount they must apply for consideration. 

One year on: While the chamber was notably quieter than the year prior, many residents spoke against the proposal, claiming it put an unreasonable burden on residents in a cost of living crisis. 

• Multiple speakers urged council to sell off public assets rather than apply for the rate rise.

• Others, such as North Sydney resident Danielle Viera, spoke in favour of the rate hike, claiming that it was necessary and that selling assets was not a viable alternative. 

“When assets are sold from the public sector to the private sector, they’re gone for good … it’s just too expensive to bring them back”, said Viera.

End result: Councillors voted 7 – 3 to back the rate hike. 

• As with the year prior, Liberal councillors Efi Carr and Jessica Keen, along with independent councillor James Spenceley, voted against the proposal. 

• It remains to be seen whether IPART will approve or reject the application put forward by council. 

• IPART’s stated reasoning for rejecting the previous rate hike was that the proposal failed to “clearly identify the need for, and purpose of” the rate rise.