Your property is placed into a rating category based on how it's used. Here’s a simple breakdown of what each category means under the Local Government Act:

Residential

Land is classed as residential if:

• It's mainly used for people to live in (e.g. houses, units), or

• It’s vacant land that’s zoned for housing in a planning document (whether or not development approval is in place), or

• It’s rural residential land (a home on a larger block in a rural area)

Farmland

Land is classed as farmland if:

• It’s mainly used for a farming business – like grazing, dairying, orchards, bee-keeping, crops, or aquaculture (fish/shellfish farming), and

• The farm is run for a significant commercial purpose, aiming to make a profit, even if a profit isn’t always made

You can read more about Council’s Farmland Rating Policy or apply for this category here:
Farmland Rating Policy and Application

Business

Land is classed as business if:

• It doesn’t fall under the residential, farmland, or mining categories

Vacant land is also put into a category based on:

• How it’s zoned or planned to be used, and

• What’s around it (surrounding development and any buildings on it)

Mining

Land is classed as mining if:

• Its main use is for coal or metal mining

Yes - starting from the 2023/2024 rating year, Council updated how rates are calculated. These changes were made to simplify the system and make it more consistent. Here’s what changed:

• Residential categories were combined – Residential Town Centre and Rural Residential are now all under one simple Residential category

• Business Light Industrial was merged – It’s now included in the main Business category

• A new base rate structure was introduced – This replaced the old minimum rate setup, aiming to spread rates more fairly across all ratepayers

The previous rate structure had been in place since 1994, and with all the growth happening across the Shire, it was no longer working as well as it should. The changes were made to make the system fairer and more up to date. Here are the reasons why;

• There were growing gaps between sub-categories, with some paying less than others for similar services (e.g. Residential Town Centre rates were lower than other residential areas)

• Too many properties were on the minimum rate, getting close to the legal limit of 50% in some categories

• Town Centre boundaries were outdated and tricky to keep up with, especially as new developments popped up

• It became hard to define Residential Town Centre areas in new growth zones

• Properties paying above the minimum rate were subsidising smaller lots and some growth areas

• The legal definition of Rural Residential land caused confusion and led to inconsistencies in how rates were applied

The updated structure helps make the rating system clearer, more consistent, and better suited to our growing community.

The move to a base rate structure - along with simplifying the categories down to just Residential, Farmland, Business, and Mining - made the rating system fairer, easier to understand, and more efficient. Here’s how:

• It stopped some ratepayers from unfairly subsidising others in growth areas, by evening out differences between Residential Town Centre, Residential, and Rural Residential rates

• It spread the rate increase more fairly, so more people shared the cost, and everyone contributed the same base amount towards shared services

• It helped avoid hitting the legal limit on the number of properties allowed on a minimum rate

• It softened the impact of new land valuations on individual ratepayers by flattening out big jumps in rates

Overall, the changes helped create a more balanced and future-ready rating system for the whole community.

The rating categories are used purely to calculate how much each property pays. When Council tested the new base rate system, the results showed that keeping a separate Rural Residential category didn’t make much difference to how rates were spread.

That’s because the base rate structure already flattens out big differences between properties — including the impact of updated land values. So, adding extra sub-categories (like Rural Residential) wasn’t needed to make things fairer. The simpler structure worked just as well without it.

No – the zoning of your land is what decides how it can be used, not the rating category.

The change in rate categories is just about how your rates are calculated. It doesn’t change your land’s zoning and won’t affect what you can or can’t build or use the land for.

No – the rate category is only used to calculate your rates. It has nothing to do with how your property is valued.

The NSW Valuer General is responsible for valuing land, and they use a range of other factors to work that out. You can find more details on how land is valued by visiting the NSW Valuer General’s website.

Yes – Council carried out community consultation during April and May 2023.

This included:

• A letter sent to all ratepayers

• Posts on social media

• A Community Forum presentation

• Drop-in sessions and online info sessions

You can find more details, including a summary of the feedback we received via the Rate Structure Review Engagement Snapshot.

Your land might be eligible for the Farmland category if:

• It’s one parcel of rateable land (valued as one property), and

• Its main use is for farming — this includes things like grazing, dairying, pig or poultry farming, orchards, bee-keeping, growing crops or vegetables, forestry, aquaculture (like fish or shellfish farming), or a mix of these activities

• The farming has a genuine commercial purpose and is being run to make a profit on an ongoing basis – even if it doesn’t always make money

You can find the full criteria and apply for farmland rating via the Farmland Rating Policy and Application Form.

Rates are based on the value of your land, which is provided by the NSW Valuer General, plus a fixed base amount that’s the same for all properties. The land values are updated every three years.

Here’s an example for a Residential property:

• Residential rate (0.00128691) × Land value ($600,000) = $772.15
• Plus base amount = $1,060.00
• Total rates payable = $1,832.15

Your rates notice includes:

• The annual rates

• Domestic Waste Management Charge

• Stormwater Management Charge

By law, Council must charge for domestic waste services for every property that can use this service. So, if your property is residential and in a serviced area, you’ll see a domestic waste management charge. For vacant land, a smaller domestic waste availability charge applies.

The stormwater management charge applies to all residential and business properties where the service is available. However, pensioners, rural properties, and vacant land don’t have to pay this charge.