Annual Business Plan 2021 - 2022

In South Australia, Council rates are a form of taxation on property values and are a requirement under state legislation.

Money raised through rates assists Council provide the Prospect community with a wide range of services. These include existing ongoing, core services such as keeping our streets clean, rubbish removal, running immunisation clinics, operating libraries and community programs, as well as renewing, replacing and building new assets such as footpaths, roads and sporting grounds.

We see the benefits of Council services everyday through cleaner streets, safer roads, services to support you and your family, places to play and places to meet.

Yes.

The City of Prospect Annual Business Plan and Budget is based on an average rate increase of 1.9 per cent. This equates to an additional $37 per year, or 71 cents per week, based on the average capital value of a home in Prospect of $416,076.

Each year Council undertakes a zero-based budgeting process in order to ensure that it understands the costs it will experience in order to deliver all of its services it intends to deliver.

Council’s Long Term Financial Plan originally forecast a required increase of 2.3%, however, cuts were made to the budget in order to reduce the increase to 1.9%. Any further shortfall would most likely lead to a reduction of service levels and an inability for Council to match Federal and State Government grants in order to stimulate the local economy post COVID19.

No, valuations do not determine the rates income of a Council. Property valuations are used to divide the rate revenue amount among individual ratepayers.

Council reviews the total of the valuation data that it receives from the Valuer General, then adjusts the rate in the dollar annually to make sure that it only raises rates to match the income required.

Each year the Valuer General provides agencies such as Council’s with a valuation as at 1 January. This is normally generated by applying an indexation to the previous year’s Capital Value based on local indices such as local property sales. In preparation for 2021-2022, the Valuer General has undertaken a detailed review of all property valuations across the whole metropolitan area. Known as the Revaluation Initiative, the project attempts to reset all values to a more accurate valuation by reviewing each property individually. More information on the Revaluation Initiative from: https://dpti.sa.gov.au/land/ovg/resources/what_is_the_revaluation_initiative

Yes - there are avenues of appeal available to ratepayers. These are located on the back of the Rates Notice which you receive in the mail and are also summarised below:

Appeals against the valuation of a property must be made through the Valuer General in the State Valuation Office within 60 days after the date of service of the Rates Notice.

Below are the contact details:

Address: The State Valuation Office 101 Grenfell Street, ADELAIDE SA 5000

Mail: GPO Box 1354, ADELAIDE SA 5001

Email: lsgobjections@.sa.gov.au

General/Objection Enquiries: 1300 653 346

A ratepayer may object to the land use applied to their property within 60 days of notification. The appeal must be made in writing to Council, addressed to the Chief Executive Officer.

The appeal must set out the basis for objection and details of the land use that should be applied. Council will review the objection and notify the ratepayer of its decision. If not satisfied, the ratepayer may appeal against the Council decision to the Land and Valuation Court.

The Regional Landscape Levy is a replacement for the Natural Resource Management Levy (NRM).

City of Prospect is in the Green Adelaide Management Board area and is required to collect the Levy on behalf of the Board. Green Adelaide set an annual levy that Councils is legislated to collect and is passed on in-full to the Board.

The Board uses the Levy to fund vital natural resource management projects including the managing and protecting priority water, land, marine and biodiversity assets.

More information about Green Adelaide and their projects can be found at www.environment.sa.gov.au/topics/green-adelaide

The 2021-2022 Draft Rating Policy Policy can be found on the City of Prospect on this engagement hub. The document outlines how the City of Prospect proposes to set its rates. More detailed explanations are contained within Part D – Rating Strategy and Structure of the Draft Annual Business Plan 2021-2022.

In 2014, the State Government introduced a new concession called ‘Cost of Living Concession’ (CLC) which replaces the previous Pensioner Concession for Council Rates. The concession is paid directly to you instead of being offset against your rates account.

Homeowners entitled to receive the concession in the 2021-2022 year can apply by contacting the Concession Hotline on 1800 307 758.

Tenants entitled to receive the concession in the 2021-2022 year can apply by contacting the Concession Hotline on 1800 307 758.

For eligibility enquiries please call the Concession Hotline on 1800 307 758.

The Local Government Act provides for the postponement of rates for seniors. It is a system designed to assist senior citizens by allowing them to postpone amounts over $500 of their annual rates charge for an indefinite period (up until the property is sold or circumstances change).

Seniors postponement is available to a person (or their spouse) who holds a Seniors Card issued by the State Government and is only available on the principal place of residence.

The payment options are set out on the front and back of the Rates Notice and include the following payment methods:

Via Council’s website at www.prospect.sa.gov.au

BPay

In person at Australia Post

In person at Customer Service Centres – EFTPOS, Master Card, or Visa Card (Cash is not currently being accepted due to the COVID19 pandemic)

Over the phone with Councils Customer Service Officers on 1300 278 903

By direct debit. Set up direct debit payments by visiting Councils website www.prospect.sa.gov.au and completing the application form to pay your rates fortnightly, quarterly or annually.

If the amount due remains unpaid after the due date it will be subject to fines raised in accordance with the provisions of the Local Government Act 1999, Sect 181(8).

A statutory fine of 2% on the unpaid quarterly amount and a further interest penalty of the prescribed percentage on any further arrears monthly will apply.

If you experience ongoing financial difficulty you can speak with a Council Rates Officer to make suitable arrangements for payment of overdue amounts.

Any feedback provides as part of the Annual Business Plan review process is collated and reported back to Council- so that we can have a very clear understanding of the issues and topics that are most pertinent to our residents. If we need to make an amendments to what has been proposed, this will be done by a Council decision.

We want to know if you think we are focusing on the right things, and if there are things we need to do more of. You can complete the survey online, the quick poll about biobags, write us a letter, send us an email, or attend our webinar. We will also be running drop-in sessions at various times in the coming weeks to answer any questions you may have. 

This year we will be encouraging more smaller and community event activities that lead to increased use of our wonderful outdoor spaces. We encourage residents and visitors to have a say in how City of Prospect places are imagined, shaped and transformed. Our placemaking approach helps us to ensure strong community, economic and environmental benefits are derived from our places and spaces.

We know that heritage management and the protection of heritage buildings is a priority for our community. We have many heritage assets that contribute to our local identity. We play an important part in the protection and conservation of our heritage and making heritage spaces available for everyone to enjoy.

We are working to make City of Prospect a low carbon, water sensitive and climate resilient City. During the coming year we are going to accelerate our actions to adapt to climate change and reduce our greenhouse gas emissions. We also want to collaborate with the community to empower individuals to work with us on our climate response.

Regardless of where you live in the City of Prospect, you’ll see us out and about maintaining and upgrading facilities, streets and parks. Taking care of our city is part of our core business. Check out our Annual Business Plan and Budget for all of the details.

We will continue to support existing businesses in City of Prospect  and encourage new businesses to chose our City as a base, and take advantage of opportunities. We will work to secure local content and jobs, and create opportunities for the growth of green industries.

The document contains a summary of the information we have received back from our community as part of our surveys. It outlines the external opportunities and challenges we have identified, and then lists the new major projects we have set as priorities for 2021-2022. There is also detailed financial information about how we will use our funds to complete these works, and ensure financial accountability.

Our Annual Business Plan and Budget is our roadmap for the year ahead. It contains our commitment to deliver great outcomes our community the coming financial year. It sets out our priorities for the coming year and outlines the costs associated with the key projects we want to deliver.