This week, the Kangaroo Island Council adopted the 2024/25 Annual Business Plan (ABP) and budget following an extensive month-long public consultation.
The ABP and budget was adopted at the Ordinary Council Meeting held on Tuesday, 9 July 2024.
As part of the adopted plan a 6.5% increase in general rates has been implemented with a rates cap of 8% applied to general rates for the FY2025 year. The rates cap means the majority of ratepayers will not experience an increase of more than 8% in general rates compared to the previous year (FY2024).
Individual rate changes will vary based on valuations set by the Office of the Valuer General. Valuation of properties on the Island have now reached $3.53Billion. This 8% rates cap does not apply to approximately 200 ratepayers who have changed their property ownership or land use since 1 July 2023.
Mayor Michael Pengilly said this rate increase came after councillors decided on an equitable approach to raising rates.
"Like much of the community, Council faces significant cost increases due to high inflation," Mayor Michael Pengilly said.
"We have worked diligently to reduce the impact of these costs by only factoring in inflationary pressures where absolutely necessary in order to minimise the impact for our ratepayers," he said.
The FY2025 ABP and budget provide a $23.76M operational budget and $10.3M capital budget to continue delivering more than 70 services to the Kangaroo Island community and visitors.
"The FY2025 ABP and budget include support for infrastructure investment, including community amenities, waste-water management, and roads," Mayor Pengilly said.
"In addition, the ABP and budget include activities and spending targeting economic development and support for local community groups," he said.
The FY2025 ABP and budget include the following:
- Investing $5.13M in road upgrades and maintenance projects to improve sealed and unsealed road infrastructure, to improve road freight effectiveness, and enhance the safety of residents and visitors.
- Allocating over $881,000 for improving recreation and open space for use by the Community.
- Expanding the maintenance, renewal and growth of the Community Waste-Water Management System (CWMS) with $1.287M to expand the number of properties connected to and utilising CWMS.
- Continuing a financial support program that offers grants for local community groups, helping them establish and grow their operations and directly support local businesses.
Mayor Pengilly said Elected Members deliberated and carefully considered all options in preparing the FY 2025 ABP and budget during budget workshops to minimise the impact on ratepayers.
"I would like to thank everyone who provided feedback during the consultation," he said.