10/06/2026
➡️Budget Development - Rates and Charges and the Impact of Land Valuations
As Council continues developing its 2026-27 Budget, one of the key considerations each year is reviewing property rates and charges.
Revenue from rates and charges funds the delivery of Council services, infrastructure maintenance and provision for the replacement or renewal of Council assets. As the cost of delivering services continues to increase, rates and charges also need to increase. In addition to the general rate, Council applies utility charges for water, sewerage and waste collection services where these are available to a property. If a property is located outside the town water supply, sewerage network or kerbside collection area, that property owner does not pay those utility charges.
In addition, levies for landfill management, natural resource management and local disaster management, are applied across all rateable properties - as the services the levies fund are delivered across the region. The revenue collected from these levies is allocated directly to support those services.
This year, the rating review process is incredibly complex, as it is impacted significantly by both the rising cost of delivering services and the wild fluctuations which the region has seen in the property valuations issued by the Queensland Valuer-General in March.
Land valuations are determined by the State Government and reflect market conditions across Queensland, including growing demand for affordable housing and rural lifestyle properties. Another factor contributing to the increases is the length of time that has elapsed between valuations - with the previous valuations undertaken in 2022.
Across the region, the average property valuation change has been an increase of 84.9% - with the range spanning from the most significant land value decrease of -52.8% and the most significant land value increase of 1427%.
These valuation increases inevitably cause concern for many property owners, particularly where land values have risen significantly. However, it is important to understand that higher land valuations do not automatically translate into equivalent increases in rates.
Property valuations are the basis for determining the rating system that all councils must put in place – and the rating system is complex. However, in line with our Budget principles adopted in April, our Council is making every effort to reduce the impact on ratepayers from the changes in property valuations, as we look to determine the rates and charges for 2026-27.
