Budget deliberations are well underway in the Bundaberg Regional Council chambers and a new campaign has been launched to increase awareness about the process.
The educational resources include a suite of fact sheets detailing how and why general rates are calculated, including the currently projected path for rating categories, as well as an insight into how capital projects are planned and prioritised.
Mayor Helen Blackburn said budget deliberations were a complex and time-consuming task and Council hoped the educational resources could support greater community understanding of the process.
“We know that our community is doing it tough and the rising cost of living is having an impact,” Mayor Blackburn said.
“Council is not immune to those impacts and general rates are a critical part of our budgeting process to ensure we can continue to deliver the services our community expects and maintain the infrastructure our community needs.
“We have done a significant amount of work to improve Council’s financial security which has included internal restructures and efficiencies as well as a complete review of our rating system effective from the 2026 financial year.
“The focus of this review was to ensure our rating strategy was fair, equitable and modern.
“This saw new categories introduced for residential properties which are a form of investment or income generation.
“What that meant was we could minimise the impact of general rates on the homes that people own and live in, recognising that these individuals, families and pensioners can’t claim their rates payment back through the taxation system.
“This education campaign provides a comprehensive and transparent view of our long term strategies for the awareness of our community.”
The budget education resources are available on Council’s website here.
