Rates on the rise | Whitsundays News | Local News in Whitsundays

RATEPAYERS in Airlie Beach are likely to get the biggest increases in their rates this year and people in Proserpine are expected to receive the lowest increases.

Whitsunday Regional Council adopted its Budget on Monday with rate increases between one per cent and 17 per cent.

Council’s CEO John Finlay said very few people would get a rate rise as high as 17 per cent – and that it was most likely to be a block of land without water and sewerage services.

At Monday’s meeting, Mayor Mike Brunker said this was not the best budget as far as the amount of debt.

"We’re broke and the public needs to know that we’re broke," he said.

According to Mr Finlay, the total Council debt is about $25.9 million.

He said this was about $3.9 million for the Bowen region and $22 million for the Whitsunday region.

At Monday’s meeting, Cr Brunker was again critical of the former Whitsunday Shire Council.

He said that prior to the last election, Bowen had been made out to be the "poor cousins" and this was not the case.

Cr Brunker said Council had a long road ahead and that the financial challenges over the next five years would be considerable.

He said this was the first stage of the "equalisation" process since amalgamation.