Aligning our local water schemes

As part of the Long-term Plan 2021/2031, council, in consultation with the community, decided to ensure a consistent approach for water rates across our communities. Currently, Five Mile Bay ratepayers pay an additional water rate of $112.75 (incl. GST) each year. This was funding half of the cost of a new water main that was put in place in early 2021 to connect Five Mile Bay to safe council-treated drinking water.

Following further consultation with the community, council is now pursuing a shared district-wide water funding approach. This new way shares the costs of providing our communities with reliable and safe water – with all across the district paying the same fixed water rate. This means greater flexibility to fund the necessary investment across various water systems at different times. It also makes it more affordable for smaller communities and makes for much greater stability of water rates – offering more certainty for ratepayers.

Through this new approach, we don’t believe that the targeted Five Mile Bay water rate should continue. We want to remove this as part of the 2022 Annual Plan. Instead, the costs of the 2021 new main water pipe to Five Mile Bay will be shared across the whole district – just like all other required new investment. To make this change, the annual impact on the district-wide water rate will be an added 50 cents for each ratepayer per year.

This reflects the shared funding approach to providing our communities with high-quality, safe drinking water, which the community endorsed (68.4% of submissions in favour) when consulted on in the Long-term Plan 2021/2031.