Redland City Council has worked hard to keep rates rises low.

Our 2014-15 Budget includes a Headline Rate increase of 3.48 per cent, which is one of the lowest increases across South East Queensland.

Under this year’s budget the average owner-occupied property in rating category 1A will see a General Rate increase of 3.5 per cent or less than 80 cents per week.

This rates increase is in line with CPI and has been achieved despite Council being hit with millions of dollars in external cost increases, contributing to a $12 million rise in our operational expenditure.

If Council had passed these external cost increases on in full, it would have meant nearly a 10 per cent rates increase, but Council has instead absorbed millions of dollars of costs to keep rates increases low for residents.

Over the last three years Redland City Council has consistently kept rates increases at or below CPI.  In fact our headline rates increases for the last three years equate to an increase of 6.82 per cent over the three years, while the CPI increase for the same period is 10.97 per cent.  The above graph shows that Redland City Council rates increases are only half of some neighbouring Councils.