Collie residents will see the smallest rates increase in the South-West region after the Shire of Collie council agreed this month to a 1.55 per cent bump as part of the 2019-20 Budget.
A council report said the increase was in line with the shire's corporate business plan to keep rates increases within 2 per cent of inflation. It represented an average $50 increase for residents.
Shire of Collie chief executive officer David Blurton said he hoped locals would see the effort the shire and council put into the Budget in an effort to keep rates low.
"When you look at the end results, and where we sit with other shires, we're probably the cheapest in the South-West as far as rates go," he said.
"We've been really mindful to keep rates low and being mindful of the economic environment of Collie at the moment, so the balance was trying to weigh that up with what are the needs of the organisation.
"We had to do a lot of cost cutting. There are things that have been pushed back a year or so, such as minor building maintenance and stage major projects."
Despite the cuts and timeline arrangements, Mr Blurton reassured residents that Collie would continue to grow and projects would be developed.
"Significant projects, which we've spoken about in the past, will continue to move forward.
"We will be finishing the Collie Motorplex upgrades, resurfacing Roche Park court three, build two new Bushfire Brigade buildings, among others, and a lot of that funding will come from grants and subsidies specifically for these projects," he said.
Shire of Collie president Sarah Stanley said the council believed the rates increase was both reasonable and affordable.
She said it aligned with the town's strategic focus to develop new opportunities for economic development.
"A key focus of the council in 2019/20 financial year will be working with the state government and other stakeholders on economic development and job creation for Collie," she said.
"Balancing delivering results for the community, while also considering the future of the shire and creating financial sustainability, was a challenge, but through staging a few bits and pieces it has given us some breathing space."
The revaluation of properties' gross rental value occurred in June 2019 and resulted in an average decrease of 2.42 per cent.
Council rates are expected to generate a total of $6,179,603 in revenue for the Shire of Collie.
Now that the 2019-20 Budget has been adopted, rates notices will be issued to each ratepayer within the next 30 days.
