Scott Groat is unhappy about Griffith Council’s tip fees. Photo: Griffith City Council.
Councillor Scott Groat will move a motion for Griffith Council to reconsider and reverse its controversial 32 per cent increase in tip fees at its next fortnightly meeting.
The council increased mixed waste disposal charges at the Tharbogang landfill from $209 to $276 on 1 July.
Cr Groat has described the increase as excessive and questioned why Griffith’s landfill charges are significantly higher than those in Wagga Wagga, Leeton and even Canberra.
At last month’s council meeting, he moved to reduce the increase from 32 per cent to a more affordable five per cent.
Councillors Mark Dal Bon, Anne Napoli and Christine Stead supported his motion, while councillors Tony O’Grady, Shari Blumer, Jenny Ellis and Doug Curran opposed it.
The vote was tied four-all, with Mayor Doug Curran using his casting vote to defeat the motion.
Despite the setback, Cr Groat maintains the increase is too high, and will bring the issue back to the council.
His new motion asks council to “reconsider and reverse the 32 per cent increase on landfill charges and restore the landfill charges that applied immediately before the increase”.
Cr Groat told Region he believed the higher fees could ultimately result in less revenue for council, as businesses chose to take their waste elsewhere.
“Our price should reflect what our neighbours are doing – if Leeton and Wagga are doing it so much cheaper, why can’t we?
“We are seeing a lot of waste just bypass Griffith and go elsewhere.”
Region understands waste from the demolition of the old Griffith Base Hospital was not disposed of at the Griffith tip, meaning the town missed out on potentially significant revenue from a major waste-generating project.
Mixed waste disposal currently costs $156 a tonne in Leeton and $190 in Wagga, compared with $276 in Griffith.
Griffith Council has defended the increase, saying it needs to recover the cost of operating and developing the landfill.
The council has committed $15 million to constructing new landfill space at Tharbogang and rehabilitating existing areas.
“The new landfill is expected to service Griffith for the next 40 to 50 plus years and is a long-term investment,” a council spokesperson said.
“Council’s general fee-setting principle is that users of a service should meet the cost of that service … setting this fee below cost would mean all ratepayers, including residents, subsidising commercial waste disposal.”
Illegal dumping at Scenic Hill in Griffith has long been a problem. Photo: Supplied.
However, Cr Groat has questioned why the tip upgrade needs to cost $15 million, given the new landfill is proposed within the existing quarry, meaning the hole has already been dug.
“It’s been a quarry that was designed to be landfill for the last 40 years,” he said.
He said he wanted transparency on what each component cost, when it would be spent, and how much had already been spent or reserved.
Council papers indicate Griffith ratepayers have already been paying a levy for landfill.
At the July meeting, Cr Groat also said he felt the Tharbogang landfill was being operated inefficiently.
Region asked Griffith Council why its charges were significantly higher than those of neighbouring councils.
“Fees charged by other councils are a matter for those councils. Charges vary for many reasons, including the age and remaining capacity of a landfill, the scale and timing of capital works, and the extent to which each council subsidises the service from general rates,” a spokesperson said.
Cr Groat said the fees were simply too high and said he had heard from a number of businesses calling for a more reasonable rate.
“It’s unfair on so many Griffith family businesses; a lot of them are complaining,” he said.
A Region reader poll found 98 per cent of respondents believed the fees were too high and should be reduced.
Cr Groat’s motion will be debated and voted on at the Griffith City Council meeting on Tuesday 25 August. The meeting will be broadcast on the council facebook page from 7 pm.
