Rate hikes concern residents
Dear Editor,
I am writing to you on behalf of many frustrated residents in Beveridge VIC 3753, a rapidly growing suburb in Melbourne’s north, to highlight a stark reality that is pushing families to the absolute breaking point.
While the country faces a severe national housing crisis, the Mitchell Shire Council has confirmed that property rates will increase by 2.75 per cent for the new financial year. To make matters worse, residents are expected to pay more while dealing with appalling local infrastructure—such as relying on a single-lane access road in and out of the suburb, which creates daily traffic bottlenecks, alongside slashed services like the reduction of general waste collection from weekly to fortnightly, with no hard waste collection provided at all and not phone costumer services available.
You don’t even need to look far; a quick glance at the comment sections on Mitchell Shire’s Facebook posts reveals a community that has quite simply reached its limit. They are making homeownership entirely unsustainable!!!
I am 28 years old and a homeowner, but between the soaring mortgage interest rates and these relentless council rate hikes, I am struggling to support my family, which includes my wife and our 1-month-old baby.
When residents question these increases, the Council hides behind the standard bureaucratic excuse: “All Victorian properties are valued as at January 1 each year by the Valuer General Victoria and the new valuation applies from July 1.”
Meanwhile, days go by, the housing and fuel crises deepen, and the only people stressed out and scraping by to make ends meet by the end of the month are the actual residents.
This situation is forcing many of us to seriously consider selling our properties at a loss and fleeing—either to less populated regional cities or out of the country entirely.
Francisco Salamanca
Beveridge
Petition update
Dear Editor,
I am pleased to announce that the Petition to Mitchell Shire to Establish an Agricultural Advisory Group was tabled on the 20th of July Council meeting with the following motion being moved – “That Council accept the petition, and officers prepare a report in response to the petition.” Carried unanimously.
The petition was initially presented to Council on the 6th of July Questions and Hearings Meeting, with three speakers in support of the petition and the benefit to Mitchell Shire of such a committee.
On behalf of Protect Our Farms Inc., who initiated the petition, I would like to thank all 628 signatories for their support. I would also like to thank all local media for the coverage they have given to this petition.
I will give a further update once the Report comes back to Council.
Therese Ryan
Secretary, Protect Our Farms Inc