Broken Hill City Council says it has made welcome progress in its fight for greater rates equality across the city, with the Valuer General announcing an independent review of local land values.
In July 2022, the Valuer General completed a review of Broken Hill, and closer inspection of the review has shown property value changes ranging from an increase of 464%, through to some properties reducing in value by 26%, the Council said in a statement today.
Mayor, Tom Kennedy said the independent review was a step in the right direction.
“We’re really pleased with this outcome, hopefully an independent review can help level the playing field with regards to land values in the long term,” he said.
“Although we can’t change the impact of the land values on the coming financial year, we can fight to increase equality in the years to come.”
As the amount of rates paid by each household is directly linked to land value, the large variance in land value will cause further inequality in rates paid by each household, the Mayor said.
Council lodged a city-wide objection to the 2022 valuations, and a Council delegation held a meeting with the Valuer General in February 2023 to discuss the issue.
A follow-up meeting was held with Council’s Executive, Councillors, and the Valuer General last week, and the independent review was confirmed following the meeting.
Mayor Kennedy said he wished to thank the Valuer General for acting on locals’ concerns around land values.
“This is an important issue for locals and for our Council, and we’re glad the Valuer General has taken that on board and is looking into it,” he said.
“We understand land values are a complex issue and that the Valuer General has their own rules and restraints they must operate around, but it’s pleasing to see that they’re willing to investigate possible solutions for our city.”
