Council
12 October, 2026
‘There is no painless option’: Yass Valley mayor
Mayor Jasmin Jones says she is committed to having an open and respectful conversation with the community as Yass Valley Council addresses its financial problems.
Mayor Jasmin Jones says she is committed to having an open and respectful conversation with the community as Yass Valley Council addresses its financial problems.
Council will hold an extraordinary meeting on Wednesday (October 14) to decide whether or not to start engaging with the community on council’s financial position and its options moving forward.
Those options include a massive rates hike, service cuts and the sale of assets including property.
Cr Jones has warned that doing nothing is “not a neutral choice” as it would leave the problem for someone else to deal with later.
“Our job now (as council) is to understand the choices, listen to our community and make informed choices about a financially sustainable future for Yass Valley,” Cr Jones said.
A report prepared by independent consultants AEC paints a grim picture of council’s financial position.
It found that council needs to find another $8.3 million each year from council operations by 2027-28 to improve its financial sustainability, meet debt commitments and progressively address its infrastructure problems.
Cr Jones acknowledged there was “no painless option”.
She said council’s choices may include a combination of further efficiencies and service changes (including a reduction in some services), property and asset options (including the sale of selected assets) and additional rate revenue through a Special Rate Variation.
AEC modelling shows that council would have to increase rates by 76.55 per cent (including the rate pegging increase) to generate the income it needs.
That increase could be introduced all at once or staged over a four-year period.
Cr Jones said she wanted to make it “absolutely clear” that council has not yet decided to increase rates or to apply for an SRV.
“The decision before councillors (at the October 14 extraordinary meeting) is whether to open up the options for proper community discussion before any further decision is made.”
Cr Jones said the consultation process would include a survey, community drop-in sessions, focus groups, targeted engagement with key stakeholders and a formal opportunity to provide feedback and submissions.
She said council would provide clear information explaining the financial challenge, the options, the duration and cumulative impact of any proposed rate increase and what it could mean for ratepayers.
“The aim is to give our community the information it needs to understand the trade-offs, ask questions and have a genuine say in the way forward,” Cr Jones said.
According to the staff report prepared for Wednesday night’s meeting, council is “not financially sustainable under its current settings, despite significant action by management over the past 12 months to correct the financial performance of the council”.
“Council has an operating deficit that is structural – put simply, the current revenue sources are not sufficient to fund the recurrent expenditures.
“In this (AEC) assessment, council has not demonstrated its capacity to maintain an adequate cash position nor renew its assets at the rate they are being consumed and nothing in the status quo closes the gap. The Special Rate Variation (SRV) scenarios do.”
It says a decision regarding council’s long-term financial sustainability is both “imminent and critical”.
At a minimum, council must respond to the immediate need to strengthen its financial position and maintain its capacity to service existing debt commitments.
“Without a minimum annual revenue increase of $3.5 million, council’s ability to meet these obligations and sustainably manage its asset base will remain under considerable pressure,” the report says.
The staff recommendation is for council to endorse a comprehensive community engagement program and for the general manager to notify IPART of council’s intention to potentially apply for an SRV by November 30 this year.
A further report will be prepared for council’s consideration following the community engagement program – if it is given the green light at Wednesday’s meeting.
· Wednesday’s meeting will commence at 4pm in the council chambers and will be open to the public. It will also be livestreamed via council’s YouTube channel. Residents will have an opportunity to address council in an open forum before the meeting commences.
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