The Clarence City Council has provided further details on how a 0.3% rate rise, prompted by a $200,000 elector poll on the proposed AFL high performance centre, came about.
At Monday’s council meeting, Save Rosny’s Parks spokesperson Terry Polglase asked a question on notice, requesting details about the poll the group had requested.
“It is being reported widely that the purported $200,000 cost of the elector poll has created a 0.3% rise in the rates for the people of Clarence,” he asked.
“As this is a one-year additional cost to council, how does Mayor Blomeley justify the rate rise and his media commentary
supporting it?”
In response, Council CEO Ian Nelson explained that all expenditure and income is reviewed annually during the budget process, including both recurring costs and new requests.
“For 2024-25, the cost of the elector poll is an example of a one off expense included in the total budget,” he said.
“Bottom line, we estimated the cost of the elector poll to be $200,000 based on advice from the Tasmanian Electoral Commission.”
Nelson said that if the poll had not been included, the budget increase would have been 6.18%, but with the $200,000 factored in, it meant the budget needed to increase by 6.48%.
“Hence, the cost of including the elector poll required a increase of 0.3% from the prior years budget,” he said.
“For the 2025-26 budget, we will do all expenditure requests and the cost of the elector poll, like any other one off costs, will no longer be included.”
As of Monday, July 29, 22,343, or 49.27% of eligible voters, had returned their elector poll ballots.
Voting will close next Thursday at 2 pm, with counting beginning the following day.
