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Baw Baw Shire farmers benefit from budgetBaw Baw Shire Council has allocated an extra $970,000 to rural environment and farming projects in the proposed 2006/07 budget due to a reduction in the farm rate differential. By Baw Baw Shire Council - 27th June 2006 - Back to News The draft budget reduces the farm rate differential from 20% to 5%, allowing more money to be invested in the farming community over the next five years, said council mayor Ian Clark.
"The money gained from the reduction in the farm rate differential will be spent on our farming community in a number of areas including safety, roads, rural environment projects and farming grants," said Cr Clark.
"Although farmers will be paying higher rates than previous years’, they still receive a 5% discount compared with general residents and 25% discount compared with commercial properties.
"We have had increasing requests from rural areas for improved roads, safety and assistance in other areas and this reduction in the differential will help us deliver.
"Council is proposing a number of solutions in the budget to assist farmers including an increase in the cattle underpass subsidy and grants for farmers to enhance property entrances so they can accommodate B-double trucks," said Cr Clark.
Council proposes to double roads sealed per annum to 40km and will spend just under $11 million on roads in the next financial year.
"This is in response to road upgrade requirements identified in our asset management strategy, which indicates that significant further investment is required to manage our rural road network responsibly into the future."
Additional investment also responds to community needs as identified in the annual community satisfaction survey and through complaints registered with council, the majority of which relate to the condition of rural roads.
"This budget will provide a huge number of residents access to sealed roads directly from their properties, with funding available from the reduction in the farm rate differential and increased funding from the Federal Government," said Cr Clark.
"Council has developed a five year program of works for the farming community to ensure that funding raised from the reduction in the differential is continually dedicated to rural areas and farmers benefit directly.
"Council has assessed that despite generous funding from the Roads to Recovery program, additional resources are still needed to maintain and improve the standard of the rural road network, to maximise safety, amenity and rural industry productivity.
Source: http://gippsland.com/ Published by: news@gippsland.com
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