LOCAL LIFE
Hawkesbury Council backs four year rate
rise not shown to residents
Hawkesbury City Council has voted to proceed with a Special Rate Variation( SRV), opting for a four year rate rise that was not the option presented to residents during the official consultation period.
The decision, based on“ Option 3” from the Council business paper, passed 7-4 at the 18 November meeting.
Councillors Sheather, McMahon, Kotlash, Lyons-Buckett, Reardon, Ryan and Wheeler supported the motion. Councillors Creed, Djuric, Veigal and Zamprogno opposed it.
The adopted model, 8.66 % per year for four years from 2026 – 27, represents a 39.4 % cumulative increase in general rate income. This matches the cumulative rise of the original three year proposal of 11.73 % per year but stretches it over an additional year to soften the immediate impact.
Under the state rate peg, the increases would have been significantly lower: 3.1 % in the first year and 3.9 % for each of the following three years. That pathway would have delivered roughly half the revenue generated by the SRV.
For the average homeowner, Council forecasts a typical bill rising from $ 1,737 to $ 1,831 in 2026 – 27 under the SRV, $ 94 a year more than the peg, or around $ 1.80 a week. By 2028 – 29, that annual gap grows to $ 286, a premium of just over 15 %. The decision has raised questions because“ Option 3” was not included in the material sent to ratepayers or in the independent phone survey. Residents were presented with only two choices: stick with the rate peg or adopt a threeyear SRV of 11.73 % per year. The four year version emerged later through internal modelling.
Community feedback was overwhelmingly sceptical of a rate rise. Council’ s engagement report describes sentiment as largely unsupportive, with many submissions urging cost cutting, better financial management and alternative revenue sources before asking residents to pay more.
Around 70 % of respondents in the independent survey preferred the rate-peg option, even after being told it could lead to reduced services.
Council argues the SRV is essential to address a $ 99.1 million asset renewal shortfall, projected to reach $ 170 million within ten years without extra funding. With more than $ 1.45 billion in assets across a large, disaster-prone region, councillors say current income is
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not enough to maintain roads, stormwater systems and community facilities. The SRV revenue must be spent exclusively on infrastructure renewal and will be reported annually to the community.
Following two months of consultation, including over 25,000 letters, 10,950 newsletters, four public information sessions, more than 2,300 submissions and a survey of 400 residents, Council resolved to proceed with the application to IPART.
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A final determination is expected in May 2026, with the SRV to take effect from July 2026 if approved.
As households across the region already manage rising living costs, the community will be watching closely to see whether the promised improvements to local roads and infrastructure eventuate, and whether Council delivers the savings and efficiencies many residents have been calling for.
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THE HAWKESBURY INDEPENDENT theindependentmagazine. com. au ISSUE 187 // DECEMBER 2025 5 MERRY CHRISTMAS & HAPPY HOLIDAYS!