Councillors Address Water Usage Concerns in Special Council Meeting
Livingstone Shire Council has committed to reviewing its five-year price path at future Budget workshops and proactively addressing high water usage within the Shire.
On 16 January 2024, the Council resolved to reconsider its long-term pricing regime during deliberation of the 2024/25 budget and consider the suitability of a water rebate at a future Special Meeting. At today’s Special Council Meeting, the Notice of Motion to provide a rebate to the Shire’s water users was lost after considering data that suggested increased water bills were not entirely due to a change in pricing tiers, but also due to increased consumption and usage.
Additional reasons also included that a potential rebate would’ve been paid out of General Rates, which meant that all ratepayers would have essentially funded the rebate, including approximately 4,000 ratepayers currently not connected to town water. Councillors were also concerned that a potential rebate would also cost the Council between approximately $580,000 to $1 million, causing a significant deficit.
The Council resolved to review the Residential Rebate for Water Saving Products to include water-efficient irrigation products and to supply a report to the Council. A further addendum to the motion was for the Council to convene public workshops to educate people on how to reduce water use. Council also resolved for Council Officers to prepare a report identifying the impacts of current water schemes of an additional allocation of up to 15KL/quarter at the middle tier rate for Council to recognise the financial impacts the new system of tiers has had on consumers.
Livingstone Shire Council Mayor Andy Ireland has reiterated his concern about high water usage within the Shire.
“The fact remains that Livingstone Shire Council ranks in the top 10 of water users in Australia and top 4 in Queensland,” Mayor Ireland said.
“Water use by Livingstone residential properties is relatively high. The most recent water consumption data for the 2nd quarter of 2024 for residential properties suggests a 58% increase from the same period last year. In terms of consumption, this is an increase of 525,309kL.
“Further consideration must be given to taking appropriate steps towards putting downward pressure on water usage and water consumption now, especially in anticipation of future water bills.
“We understand high water bills are financially challenging, but I urge residents to make conscious efforts to reduce water consumption in the long term. By making small changes in our daily routines, we can significantly reduce our water consumption and ultimately lower our bills.”
Council encourages any ratepayer who is experiencing financial difficulties and cannot pay their water notice by the due date to please contact our Customer Service Centre to enter payment arrangements.