OBERON Council is to continue its battle to secure a better deal on unrateable land in the council area.
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And it’s a battle worth having: according to a recent report to council, Oberon goes without almost $740,000 in rates a year due to unrateable land.
Oberon Council general manager Gary Wallace and mayor Kathy Sajowitz attended the recent second meeting of the Unrateable Land Working Party – which is focusing on unrateable forestry plantation land and forestry road infrastructure contributions – at the Local Government NSW (LGNSW) office in Sydney.
At the meeting, according to a report to Oberon Council, member councils agreed to send letters to relevant ministers stating concerns and seek meetings with relevant ministers and invite them to attend the working party’s next meeting.
Member councils will also investigate an offer of collaboration with the National Timber Councils Association - a local government body which provides a national voice on issues affecting communities, industry and the environment in timber regions.
Oberon Council, along with the other member councils, will supply Local Government NSW with information regarding forgone rating revenue from unrateable land - which in Oberon is $738,391 per annum.
The working party will also seek progress on the IPART Rating Review draft which has been with the NSW Government for over one year without any recommendations being forthcoming.
A recommendation in the draft review, according to the working party, alludes to reviewing rating exemptions.
Research will also be conducted into existing forestry-related agreements in NSW and interstate and the working party plans to seek information on why mining concessions are granted, but not timber concessions.
The working party council members cover a large area: from Tenterfield and Bellingen in the north to Snowy Monaro and Bega in the south to Lithgow and Oberon in the east.