Armidale Regional Councillors unanimously accepted two recommendations at Wednesday's Ordinary Monthly Meeting, which Mayor Simon Murray said would see a some residents gain and others lose out from coming changes to council's rating structure.
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"In the past the Armidale Dumaresq farmland rates were higher than the Guyra equivalent," he said.
"At the moment, we've got the old Armidale Dumaresq Shire Council rating structure and the old Guyra rating structure - different rating structures for communities.
"Under a merged council we need to harmonise those to ultimately have a uniform structure."
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The first resolution adopted was that council advise the Office of Local Government in writing of its wish to opt out of the extended rates path freeze, so rates could harmonise from July 1 next year.
It was the Local Government Minister who originally directed the freeze to last until June 30 2020. Only later amendments to the Local Government Act pushed the extension of rates freeze provisions back until June 2021.
It was the Council Amalgamation Proclamation that prescribed the rating structure be reviewed within the first term of council which ends during September next year.
The second resolution adopted was that council pursue an application for a Special Rates Variation (SRV) effective July 2021
As for the SRV, Former Armidale Dumaresq Shire Council had an SRV approved effective July 1 2014 to June 30 2021, at which time council's recurrent revenue will drop by $1.5 million.
Cr Murray promised community consultation throughout the whole harmonisation process.
"There is going to be a lot of community consultation as soon as we start this process to get the community informed and work the community through it," he said.
