A new policy that aims to keep fees and charges fair, transparent and affordable has been adopted by Whittlesea council.
Council said the pricing policy – fees and charges responds to growing financial challenges it is facing as the rising cost of essential service delivery outpaces fee increases.
Council said the policy commits to balancing affordability while maintaining service quality. In line with the policy, fees and charges will reflect the actual cost of service delivery while considering affordability, community benefit and equity.
The policy has seven guiding principles to determine how council will set its fees and charges which include financial sustainability, recognising the significance of service to the community, equity, access and inclusion.
It will apply to services that have non-statutory fees or changes applied, not including rates.
Mayor Aidan McLindon said setting fees and charges for service delivery is always a difficult balancing act between the cost of delivering the service and the impact on community.
“Council is acutely aware of the cost-of-living pressures that many residents are feeling which we have taken into account in deliberating the new fees and charges structure,” he said.
“This new policy ensures council has a framework to apply fees and charges in a consistent, fair and transparent way while ensuring we take into consideration community impact.
“This is another step towards ensuring transparency and good governance.”
