Every financial year, Council reviews the Fees and Charges to make sure they are reasonable and reflect the actual cost of the activities we provide the community.

While rates are our main source of income, we also receive revenue from fees and charges, such as pool entry fees, or building consent costs. In order to keep rates down, Council proposed to raise fees and charges across a range of activities including building, animal control, and community venues.

We received 53 submissions on the proposed Fees and Charges. Of these, 19 agreed adopting the proposed fees and charges, 26 did not agree with the proposal, and 8 either did not have an opinion or did not select an option.

Several submissions raised concern around the proposed increase to the dog registration fees. The increase to operational costs for animal control means Council needs to recover more costs from fees. However, owners can get up to $80 off their fee through rebates.

Another common concern was the increase to swimming pool fees. Pool facilities are facing increased operating costs associated with insurance, power, maintenance, plant, chemicals, staff costs, training, contractors and compliance. Increasing the admission charges doesn’t cover the total cost of running these facilities, however it helps offset a portion of the costs that would otherwise be funded through rates.

Council approved the draft Fees and Charges as proposed on 9 May 2024. These will come into effect from 1 July 2024 until 30 June 2025. Following Council’s approval of the Fees and Charges, corrections to our Swim Zone and Spa concession discount charges are required to ensure they are in line with the discount rate. These will be taken to Council for approval on 3 July 2024, and the new fees for our aquatic facilities will apply from 3 July 2024. The full list of Fees and Charges will be available from 3 July 2024 on our website.