Bunbury ratepayers could face 6.5 per cent rate rise, but process change aims for fairness

Ratepayers in the City of Bunbury could be slogged an extra 6.5 per cent when their rates notice arrives this year, but changes to the rating process will aim to keep the rise fair across the board.

City of Bunbury councillors on Tuesday evening requested the finance team prepare the 2025-2026 budget based on a 5.5 per cent rate yield increase, with an additional 0.75 per cent to go directly to funding additional services at the Withers Library and 0.25 per cent for increasing ranger resources.

Elected members also carried a motion to move away from the single rate-in-the-dollar rule to a differential rating program which would see multiple rates-in-the-dollar for different property categories.

Councillor Ben Andrew led the charge and said with the unexpected — and exceptionally large — increases in gross rental values across the city, the differential process was now crucial.

“We’re now seeing GRVs going up to extreme levels, which on the rate rules that we’re proposing for a single rate-in-the-dollar would see $344 extra per residential property, while a lot of commercial properties will be decreased,” he said.

“That’s the average. The properties that will be hit the worst . . . are those in Withers, Usher and Carey Park, our lowest socio-economic families that struggle sometimes the most.

“The commercial operators are going to be able to write-off a lot of these increases in their tax, the household won’t be able to.”

It was opposed by Crs Michelle Steck and Gabi Ghasseb who said businesses would bare the brunt of the change.

“I support business, because without business, you don’t have jobs,” Cr Steck said.

“A lot of businesses in Bunbury are against the wall at the moment, and you only have to go and ask them, and they will tell you. I actually have sympathy for them because they got attacked last time.

“I’m not going to support another attack against users, but I am going to say well done Bunbury — if our GRV has gone through the roof and everybody in Usher and everywhere else has a price rise in your property, my advice to you is go and get a new home loan and go and get a new valuation on your property.”

The rate yield of a 6.5 per cent increase plus the changed formula were both carried and will be advertised for public comment ahead of the formal budget debate.