Council
18 July, 2026
Council to continue arguing its case
Wingecarribee Shire Council will continue to argue the case for a Special Rate Variation (SRV) this week with two webinars planned for Tuesday (July 21) followed by community drop-in sessions planned for Renwick and Bowral on Wednesday (July 22).
Wingecarribee Shire Council will continue to argue the case for a Special Rate Variation (SRV) this week with two webinars planned for Tuesday (July 21) followed by community drop-in sessions planned for Renwick and Bowral on Wednesday (July 22).
There will be morning and evening webinars planned on Tuesday with the morning session scheduled to run from 10.30am to 11.30am and the evening session from 6pm to 7pm.
People can register online at the Participate Wingecarribee community engagement platform.
Wednesday’s drop-in sessions will be held at the Renwick Community Centre from 4.30pm to 6pm and at the Loseby Park Community Centre in Bowral from 7pm to 8.30pm.
Council will be hoping for a better turnout for the Renwick and Bowral drop-in sessions after a disappointing start last week at Penrose before moving on to Moss Vale (July 29), Wingello (August 11) and Robertson (August 12).
However, many people fear a decision has already been made – given council’s literature on the proposed SRV paints a grim picture of what life in the Wingecarribee will be like without it.
One resident has described the notice explaining the two options she received with her rates notice as “manipulative”.
With no SRV it says “roads and buildings will continue to decline and cost more to maintain and/or fix”.
But with a 34 per cent cumulative increase in rates over the next three years, roads and buildings can be ‘properly’ maintained and higher costs will be avoided further down the track.
Council will continue to consult with the community on the two options until August 28 before making a decision to proceed with the SRV application at its October meeting.
Any final decision will rest with the Independent Pricing and Regulatory Tribunal (IPART) after it conducts its own community consultation process.
There have already been steep increases in water and sewer charges this year – which did not require IPART approval – but it is council’s General Fund that is dwindling and council says it is facing a $100 million shortfall over the next decade if it can’t obtain additional funding.
It is the General Fund that is used to maintain roads, buildings and other public infrastructure and to provide services to the community.
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