Gympie neutral on charges cap
GYMPIE Regional Council will remain neutral in the new inter-government war of words on local government infrastructure charges, Mayor Ron Dyne said yesterday.
He and council Planning and Development Committee chairman Ian Petersen said new state government caps on council infrastructure charges would probably not affect Gympie because its charges on developers were not at a level which was of concern to the state or the property development industry.
“Most of our infrastructure charges are revenue-neutral,” Cr Petersen said, meaning that they merely reflected the actual costs of providing the infrastructure needed by new developments in the region.
Cr Dyne said some other councils would be more seriously affected, especially if they used the charges as a revenue-raiser.
“We don’t see any great changes in the way we’ll be working.
“We don’t have big charges anyway,” he said.
The Local Government Association of Queensland, which represents all Queensland councils, said the new cap on infrastructure charges, meant to make homes cheaper, “could actually stifle development and push up rates”.
It predicted that developers would benefit but property rates could rise by $60 a year for some households.
Premier Anna Bligh said the cap would make housing more affordable.
