How would a rate increase impact the Tamworth region's smaller communities?

"Back in 2004 we had the same problem. Council was telling us they were in dire straits and were unable to afford to continue, so we had amalgamation. Here we are in 2023 doing exactly the same thing, council telling us they need a special variation above what they'd normally get," one resident from Manilla told the Leader.

Tamworth Regional Council (TRC) is currently undertaking community consultation on a proposal for a special rate variation (SRV) that would up average rates by 36.3 per cent across the whole local government area over the next two years.

Outside of Tamworth, the proposed SRV would also apply to surrounding towns, such as Attunga, Barraba, Bendemeer, Dungowan, Duri, Kootingal, Manilla, Moonbi, Nundle, and others.

Council's community consultation meetings in Manilla, Barraba, Moonbi, and Nundle last week attracted large crowds, with many residents saying services in small towns have been gradually degraded since the amalgamation of local councils in 2004.

"That's what the consensus at the [Manilla] meeting was. I was a bit disappointed that most people were talking about the problems that council isn't addressing out here rather than the rate increase itself," the Manilla resident said.

To organise resistance to the proposed SRV, the Tamworth Regional Ratepayers Association recently set up a page on Facebook, titled 'Figure it out TRC,' which quickly received a groundswell of support from the region's outer-lying towns.

"Manilla says no and Barraba says no," another resident from Manilla commented on the page.

The Facebook page contains a how-to guide on submitting feedback to TRC as well as a petition for those against the SRV to sign.

One resident from Nundle told the Leader they've heard more about the proposed SRV from the association and its petition than from TRC itself.

The ratepayers' association has called the proposed SRV "extreme" and say they are trying to mimic the high-profile community campaign in Bathurst which recently killed a proposed a near 70 per cent rate increase.

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The argument that TRC has become too Tamworth-focused is not new, with rural residents citing restricted pool hours, dirty streets, and the end of bulky waste collections as examples of rural services shrinking.

Some residents are concerned that an increase in rates will go directly to improving services in Tamworth, leaving rural residents in the lurch.

According to TRC, two-thirds of the revenue from the proposed SRV will be allocated to the region's transport network, a boon for small-town roads which are frequently damaged by rain.

However, that leaves a third of the revenue to go towards big-ticket items in Tamworth, such as delivering on commitments for recreational parks, investing in Tamworth's ageing aquatic facilities, and "key approved projects" including the Oxley Lookout Skywalk and the remediation of Ray Walsh House.

Councillor Mark Rodda, who was one of two councillors to vote against advancing the SRV to the community consultation stage, told the Leader he empathises with the concerns of the region's rural residents.

"I can see where their complaints are coming from, because when you look at the justification for the rate increase, yes it's to maintain services, but also to progress projects which are largely centred in Tamworth like the aquatic centre and the skywalk," Cr Rodda told the Leader.

"What big projects are mooted for Barraba, Manilla, Nundle, Attunga, Duri? Nothing, you could say."

Last year, TRC spent more than $2 million on capital items in Manilla alone, and nearly ten times as much on roads across Manilla and Barraba.

But some residents say they aren't convinced a rate increase is needed to maintain that spending, as many projects, including maintenance of Manilla's low level bridge and the recent refurbishment of the Manilla Showground Pavillion, are paid for by grants from the state government.

"They tell us they've done quite a bit of work here, and that's probably right, but how much of that is actually grants and not collected from rates?" one Manilla resident said to the Leader.

Other residents say it's not a question of how much money is spent, but what it's spent on.

"In 2019, I think it was, $30 million was spent in Manilla and it would've taken 15 years to raise that much from Manilla's rates, but the things that are visible to the naked eye like street cleaning are not getting done like they used to. I know those are only small things but they're the ones everyone sees," Manilla resident and former councillor Jim Maxwell said.

The former mayor of Manilla also said representation is a big issue.

"All the councillors now are virtually in Tamworth so there's no representation from outside," Mr Maxwell said.

That sentiment was echoed on the edges of the LGA.

"We could do with a local government that's more hands-on, more responsible. I'm not sure how you'd do it, I've been on a few committees here in Barraba and that level of organisation can be hard," Barraba resident David Penna said.

Mr Penna said tangible investments in recreational projects would go a long way in creating goodwill among rural ratepayers, while also keeping small towns vibrant.

"The problem is trying to keep the population there. Nowadays if you want to play cricket or certain sports, or if you want your kids to have a crack at it, you go to Tamworth, and that's just killing things at home," he said.

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