Hobart property owners wanting to turn a home into short-stay accommodation could soon pay 20 times more in council fees under a proposed change going before councillors tonight.
The application fee for changing a property to visitor accommodation would jump from $250 to $5,000 – a 1,900% increase – if the Hobart City Council adopts its 2026-27 fees and charges schedule.
It is the biggest percentage rise among more than 1,100 fees in the proposal.
Most council fees are going up by 3.5%, broadly in line with inflation. But a handful are climbing much higher.
Owners of dogs declared dangerous will pay $1,250 a year to register them, up from $1,103.
The council says in its report the fee is “designed to discourage [the] keeping of dangerous dogs in [the] municipal area”.
Memorial plaque and headstone fees are jumping 158% to $150.
A new $2,000 charge will apply to major events held on the Salamanca Lawns to cover damage to the grass from events like Taste of Summer and Dark Mofo.
General mixed waste at McRobies Gully Waste Management Centre is rising 11.5% to $223 a tonne, which the council says is needed to cover increasing operating costs.
Parking is also in for a shake-up, with 36 parking fees rising by a total of 8.5%, made up of the standard 3.5% increase plus an extra 5%.
Long-stay meter rates could more than double, with the proposed range moving from $0.60-$2.20 an hour to $1-$5.
A report to councillors said dynamic pricing, expected once a review of the city’s parking system is finished, would let the council “flex prices up or down depending on occupancy rates”.
Any move to switch on dynamic pricing would still need a separate council vote.
Electric vehicle charging at Dunn Place is dropping 75% to $5.60 an hour after a new deal with operator EVE, which will charge drivers directly for power.
Dog impounding fees are falling 8% to $80, bringing them into line with other southern councils and the Dogs Home of Tasmania.
Despite the increases, the council is forecasting $373,000 less revenue overall, mostly because of lower expected waste and parking fine income.
Councillors will vote on the schedule tonight. If it passes, the new fees will start on July 1.
