Council
11 August, 2026
SRV drop-in sessions end this week
Wingecarribee Shire Council’s community drop-in sessions on a proposed Special Rate Variation (SRV) will come to an end this week.
Wingecarribee Shire Council’s community drop-in sessions on a proposed Special Rate Variation (SRV) will come to an end this week.
The final two sessions will be held in Wingello today (Tuesday, August 11) and in Robertson tomorrow (Wednesday, August 12).
Sessions have already been held in Colo Vale, Renwick, Bowral and Moss Vale.
Today’s session will be held at the Wingello Mechanics Institute Hall from 5pm to 7pm while tomorrow’s session will be held at the Robertson CTC from 5.30pm to 7.30pm.
The sessions will give residents the opportunity to speak with Mayor Jesse Fitzpatrick, council’s General Manager Lisa Miscamble and other council staff about the two options currently being considered: the ‘status quo’ option or a “cumulative and permanent increase” in rates of 34.4 per cent to be introduced progressively over the next three years.
Even if council resolves at its October meeting to push ahead with the SRV, it will still need to be approved by the Independent Pricing and Regulatory Tribunal (IPART) – which will conduct its own community consultation before making a decision.
Under the ‘status quo’ option, council will be forced to rely on modest rate-pegging increases as well as grants, cost savings and productivity improvements.
It has warned that under this option there would be limited funding for work on roads, buildings and other community infrastructure.
Under the ‘Stronger Services’ option – which includes the SRV – it says it would be able to spend more on roads, buildings and community infrastructure, undertake more planned maintenance and reduce its reliance on costly emergency repairs.
As previously reported by The Southern Wire, long-term modelling has identified a $100 million shortfall in what will be needed over the next decade and what will actually be available without the proposed SRV.
More than $30 million of that is needed for “urgent, critical works on roads and buildings”.
Residents have until Friday, August 28 to comment on the two options by visiting http://participatewingecarribee.wsc.nsw.gov.au
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