How your rates are spent
Council provides more than 50 services to 98,000 residents – all funded by rates, charges, fees, grants and loans.
Rates also pay for services and infrastructure for individual properties, such as water and sewerage.
How every $100 you pay in rates and annual charges is spent

|
Sewer services |
$21 |
|
Roads, transport, drainage and flooding |
$21 |
|
Support services |
$12 |
|
Waste management and recycling |
$11 |
|
Parks, sports fields, open space and aquatic centres |
$10 |
|
Community buildings, services, libraries, art and culture |
$7 |
|
Planning, building, compliance, and emergency management |
$7 |
|
Water supply* |
$4 |
|
Environment and sustainability |
$4 |
|
Customer service, community engagement, communications and civic services |
$2 |
|
Business and economic development |
$1 |
|
Total |
$100 |
*Excludes water user charges
What do my rates pay for?
Rates help to pay for your local services:
Services
- waste collection, recycling and street cleaning
- water and wastewater treatment plants
- water reservoirs, mains and supply network including pumping stations
- Wastewater pumping stations and mains
- local roads, bridges, footpaths, kerb and guttering, signage and drainage maintenance and cycleways
- parks, playgrounds, gardens, sports fields, aquatic facilities, skateparks and reserves
- libraries and a range of community services (for elderly and youth)
- Community festivals arts and cultural assistance, and visitor information centre
- town planning, landscaping, development applications / building inspections / construction certificates
- ranger services, including dog control
- strategic planning for the future
- food shop inspections
- environmental management
- noxious weeds eradication
- community facilities
- services to the aged and youth
- bus shelters
- traffic management
See Council services
Rates also help to pay for assets and facilities worth more than $3 billion:
Council assets
- 1079km of sealed roads, 164km of unsealed roads
- 210km of footpaths, 790km of kerb and gutters
- 5678 street lights
- 208 concrete bridges, 35 wooden bridges
- 99 car park areas
- 376km of drainage, 10.4km of levee banks
- 400 flood gates
- Clarrie Hall Dam and 2 weirs
- 3 water treatment plants and 8 wastewater treatment plants
- 43 reservoirs
- 28 water and 185 wastewater pump stations
- 716km of water mains and 700km of sewer mains
- 33 community buildings and three community centres
- regional art gallery and museum
- 3 libraries and 2 civic centres
- 37 sports fields
- 378 parks, 82 playgrounds
- 78 picnic areas with barbecues in 39 Council parks
- 3 aquatic centres
- maintenance of public toilets, amenity blocks
- 11 cemeteries