Liverpool Plains Shire Council mayor Doug Hawkins faced with difficult task of pushing for rate increase

The council have formally notified the Independent Pricing and Regulatory Tribunal (IPART) of its intention to apply for a Special Rate Variation (SRV) and will soon kick off comprehensive community consultation on the matter.

Councillor Hawkins said it was never an easy ask to get the community to discuss higher rates, but it was vital if LPSC are to continue to maintain their assets and infrastructure to a high standard.

"It's a bad time with Christmas coming up, and I understand that," he said.

"But we had to have the intent in by November 27.

"The difficulty is to get the community to discuss the issue, but it's even more difficult when I've only been in the job for two months and I'm already having a discussion with the public about the raising of rates."

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Each year, IPART sets a rate peg that limits the amount by which local councils can increase their total rate revenue by.

Unfortunately, the rate peg has not kept pace with the increasing costs of delivering services, maintaining and improving assets, as well as the day-to-day running of council.

However, no final decision will be made until the community are informed and consulted, councillor Hawkins said.

"I'm absolutely determined that the public will be well and truly informed so that they can make an informed decision when they speak with us," he said.

"We've gone five years only with a rate peg and we've had to maintain the assets we've had, now we will have more assets to maintain.

"We've gained $30-40 million in grants for infrastructure over the last couple of years, and again I'm put in a position now where I've got to finish those projects, and they're major projects.

"At the end of the day, when they're completed there will be a cost in maintaining them and it's my belief that this conversation has to start now so that we're not caught with our feet dragging when the time comes to maintain everything."

Having been elected mayor in September, councillor Hawkins will serve in his role until the next local government election in September 2021, putting added pressure on him to get the message out to the community.

"I want to get the message out there and I want it to be open and honest," he said.

"The public may well decide that they don't want the services but the public needs to know the reasoning behind it and the consequences of not doing it."

Some of the major infrastructure projects the LPSC is pushing to have completed are the Quipolly Water Treatment Plant, the Quirindi netball and basketball courts upgrade, and a $2.5 million upgrade of Quirindi showground and racecourse.

Ratepayers will soon receive a flyer containing further information on the proposal, with council to launch an online consultation site dedicated to the SRV and hold information sessions across the region in the New Year.