Mid Murray limits rate increase amid cost-of-living pressures

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Council rate bills will go up by 4.3 per cent, on average, for property owners in Mannum and the Mid Murray district next year.

The increase, flagged in the council’s draft budget for 2025-26, will cost residents an average of about $102 extra.

That’s less than the increases being proposed in either Murray Bridge or the Coorong district, both as a percentage and a dollar amount, though Coorong residents will still have the lowest bills.

Mid Murray ratepayers whose bills go up by more than 20% in any given year will be able to apply to have the increase capped at that level.

Mayor Simone Bailey said the council had worked hard to shore up its financial position while serving the community and keeping rates as low as possible.

Residents’ struggles with the cost of living, especially in the face of the current drought and 2022-23 floods, had been “front of mind in our planning”, she said.

The council has budgeted to spend about $31.5 million in 2025-26.

Priority projects will include:

• $4.6 million worth of new infrastructure
• Mannum Oval upgrades, funded by grants from other organisations
• A plan for managing housing growth in the district
• Upgrades at Mannum Dock Museum

The council argued that it had found $1.1 million worth of savings in this year’s budget, about half of which was on a one-off basis.

An upcoming efficiency review will look at the council’s community, tourism, heritage and maritime assets.

In the long term, however, Ms Bailey argued that the federal government needed to intervene to make country councils more sustainable.

Urban councils received comparable amounts of federal funding even though those in the regions had thousands of kilometres more roads, and other assets, to maintain – and often 10 times fewer residents to pay for them.

The Mid Murray Council was rated as “potentially unsustainable” the last time it was reviewed by the Essential Services Commission of South Australia.

“While council remains committed to finding ways to operate more efficiently, we … can’t ignore the fact that we’re not operating on a level playing field when it comes to fair funding support for regional councils,” Ms Bailey said.

“That’s why we will ... be continuing our advocacy efforts for equity in the federal government’s Financial Assistance Grants, so that councils with smaller populations and higher needs for assistance aren’t continually disadvantaged by the current funding model.”

• Have your say: Visit engagement.mid-murray.sa.gov.au or email postbox@mid-murray.sa.gov.au by 12pm next Wednesday, June 11.