Candidates running for Wangaratta Council cannot agree if the city’s rural rates are the fairest in Victoria or “atrocious”.
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In one camp, Harry Bussell, Helen Senior and George Dimopoulos praised administrators for balancing the differential rating system for farmers.
“I do think the administrators have done a fantastic job in trying to balance the books in regards to the rates, which is one of the hardest jobs,” Mr Dimopoulos told Thursday’s election forum.
Mr Bussell also supported the introduction of a 2.5 per cent rate cap.
“The rural people in Wangaratta are being very well looked after and I’m quite happy with the system we have here in Wangaratta, it’s probably better than most other parts of Victoria,” he said.
Lauren McCully criticised the council for not assessing its ratings strategy since she was involved as a former councillor before 2013.
“We had one of the fairest rating strategies in comparison to other municipalities,” she said.
Julian Fidge went a step further.
“The rating in Wangaratta is atrocious, the administrators have done a dreadful job and councils before them have done an appalling job,” he said.
None of the councillors outlined how they would alter the system or what types of farms were paying too much in rates.
Greg Mirabella said he believed there was room to move on a few small areas of the rating strategy.
“It would be a very brave or foolish candidate or councillor that would promise a solution one way or another, it is a very complex problem,” he said.
More roads funding could be headed to rural areas, if candidates were elected to address “disgraceful” areas of potholes like in Glenrowan.
“It’s out in the wilderness and it’s going to be a ghost town soon if something is not done,” Ms Senior said.
Even city-based Dave Fuller was on board.
“Some of that money needs to be reallocated from the city ward to the outer wards because it seems like all the (rural candidates) are screaming ‘we need better roads’,” he said.
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