Kangaroo Island Council Adopts FY2025 Fees and Charges
This month, the Kangaroo Island Council adopted the 2024/25 Fees and Charges as part of the FY2025 Annual Budget, approved at the Ordinary Council Meeting on Tuesday, 9 July 2024.
Under the Local Government Act 1999, the Council has discretion in setting certain fees and charges while others are fixed by legislation. The Council imposes fees and charges for various purposes:
- Use of any property or facility owned, controlled, managed, or maintained by the Council
- Services supplied at a person’s request
- Work carried out at a person’s request
- Providing information, materials, or copies of Council records
- Applications to the Council
- Authorisations, licenses, or permits granted by the Council
- Matters for which another Act provides that a fee under this Act is payable
- Other prescribed matters
As part of the annual budget process, the Fees and Charges Register was reviewed to allow for income collection to fully or partially cover the cost of services provided by the Council.
Mayor Michael Pengilly commented on the changes, stating that the Council decided on a user- pays approach to revenue collection. "Like much of the community, the Council faces significant cost increases due to high inflation," Mayor Pengilly said. "We have worked together to consider the impact of these fees by only factoring in inflationary pressures where absolutely necessary. This approach minimizes the impact on our ratepayers while still contributing to the overall cost of services. Additionally, our debt reduction program remains an ongoing priority as a matter of urgency."
The FY2025 fees and charges review has simplified the listing and description to ensure ease of community understanding and simplification of administration. While some fees and charges will remain unchanged, others have been adjusted, and additional services have been listed to ensure all council facilities have appropriate fee structures. Where relevant, an increase consistent with
the CPI increase for Adelaide (all groups) for the quarter ending December 2023 of 4.8% has been applied.
**Key Changes:**
- Offences related to breaches of the Council’s by-laws will now incur a fee of $312.50.
- Parking fees at Penneshaw and the Airport have increased to $10 for a 24-hour period, up from $5.
- New fees have been applied for Council-issued authorisations, licenses, and permits.
- Cemetery fees have increased significantly, by between 7-140%, to progress towards cost-neutral operation over the next 3 to 5 years.
Mayor Pengilly highlighted the importance of cemeteries, stating, “Cemeteries are highly valued social and physical infrastructure, and their development and maintenance should be responsive to our community needs. The increase in FY2025 fees will allow the Council to make them places our community will appreciate.”
Although the community hire rate for Council facilities and services has been removed, annual discounts for residents for some services (such as boating and camping activities) have been retained. Community groups are now encouraged to apply for Council sponsorship for a discount on one-off facility hire or service fees. For extended use hires or service fees, the community is encouraged to seek longer-term arrangements such as licenses and permits, which can provide security around facility use at reasonable and sometimes lower fees.
If you or your community group have any questions about the fees charged for the use of Council services during the year, please reach out to our customer service team, who can direct you to the appropriate Council officer for further information.
For inquiries or further information, please contact the Kangaroo Island Council at 8553 4500 or kicouncil@kicouncil.sa.gov.au.