ROBINVALE residents will face a rate increase of 1.47 per cent if Swan Hill Rural City Council’s 2021-22 draft budget gets the green light.
But owners of vacant residential land could be slugged with an additional “significant increase” if they have owned the land for more than three years, mayor Bill Moar said.
It’s a move the council hopes will “encourage development and availability”.
“The purpose of this differential rate, which is an additional rate on this type of land, is to encourage development of vacant residential land in developed areas of the municipality,” Cr Moar said.
“Having the availability of land for development in the residential sector is crucially important to the future growth of our municipality — and this differential rate is there to encourage this availability.
“If that land is sold to another owner, the new owners have three years before they have to pay differential rates on that vacant residential land — regardless if the previous owners had been paying the differential rate.”
The draft budget also includes the proposed development of vehicle access from Latje Road to Robinvale Riverside Park and Robinvale Leisure Centre.
Rubbish and recycling collection charges will increase to $343 for a 120-litre garbage bin and $520 for a 240-litre garbage bin, while the Robinvale Ronald Street subdivision, aimed at increasing housing supply, could receive $1.75 million.
