Letter to the Editor: Urging caution on Council survey Opinion Property/Sports/Opinion - popup ad by News Of The Area - Modern Media - February 19, 2025 DEAR News Of The Area, REGARDING MidCoast Council’s “Have your say” on assets and services survey, readers and ratepayers should be cautious. Choosing to maintain everything to “Good” standard would seem to require a 46.6 percent increase to rates, while choosing a “Satisfactory” standard results in a rate increase of 15.7 percent. Is this what people want? Is this what ratepayers can afford? The survey appears binary in nature since to the question of what should Council spend, the options per asset category are “more” or “less” – there is no “about the same”. There have been recent cases of large rate increases to be sought via IPART in Manly and North Sydney, which this week opted for an 87 percent rate increase, despite community disquiet. Hopefully MidCoast doesn’t try that on! Yours faithfully, Ian CURDIE, Hawks Nest.
