Rate in the Dollar

The City of Campbelltown will raise $47.1 million in rates to fund it's 2023/2024 Budget. Rate revenue (net) accounts for 78% of Council's operating income.

To fund the rate revenue required, Council has set a single general rate in the dollar of 0.00248763. To calculate your rates, the rate in the dollar is multiplied by the capital value of your property. The capital value is provided to Council by the Valuer General.

Council reviews and adjusts the rate in the dollar annually to make sure it only raises the budgeted rate revenue required. As a result of this, Councils do not gain windfalls from valuation increases. Valuations do not determine the rates income of a Council but are used only to divide the total rates amount among individual ratepayers. Therefore, a person with a property valued at, say, $400,000 will contribute less than someone with a property valued at $600,000 in the same Council area.

Rates are not a fee for services provided to individual ratepayers, rather it is a form of taxation dependent on property values.

Due Dates

Rates are payable in four approximately equal instalments. You may elect to pay any instalment in advance. We will send you further notices for each quarter thirty days before each instalment is due, where there is a balance to pay.

How does Council set rates?

Council sets its rates for the financial year as part of its annual budget process.

Rates were declared, along with the budget, at the Council meeting held on 4 July 2023.

Council determines how much rate revenue it needs to raise to balance the budget and then divides this rate revenue over the capital value of the properties within the Council area. This gives Council a rate in the dollar.

This rate in the dollar is then applied to the capital value (which is the value provided to Council by the Valuer General) of each individual property. This determines the rates payable for each property for that particular year. If you do not agree with the valuation of your property you can object in writing to the Valuer General within 60 days after the date of service of the first rate notice for the financial year.  Council cannot alter valuations without receiving advice from the Valuer General.

You can send your objection to:

Online: www.valuergeneral.sa.gov.au
Email: OVGObjections@sa.gov.au
Post: GPO Box 1354, Adelaide 5001
In Person: Land Services SA, Level 9, 101 Grenfell Street, Adelaide

For further information or a hard copy objection pack (including a reply-paid envelope) please call 1300 653 346.

Council also has a Rating Policy stating how it will determine rates. This is a broad statement by the Council of the approach that it will take and the reasons for this. This process helps to ensure community accountability. A summary of the Annual Business Plan is sent out with your first rate notice for each financial year. Download a copy of the 2023/2024 Annual Business Plan & Budget alternatively, copies are available for viewing at the Council office.

Councils try hard to ensure that rates are kept to a responsible level, consistent with meeting the demands of the local community in maintaining infrastructure and providing services, and are applied across the community as fairly as possible.

To assist in making the impact of rates fairer on the community, Councils have a number of options that they can use in determining how rates will be set.

The options available to Council are:

1. General Rates. With this simple system, the property value is used to determine the rates irrespective of what the land is being used for or where it is located. OR
2. Differential General Rates. A Council may charge different rates depending on the type of land use such as residential, commercial or primary production. Alternatively rates can be set on the basis of the location of the land. For example, in country areas a township may enjoy some services that are not available to rural properties. Different rates can also be applied according to both the use and location of the land.
3. A Fixed Charge. Under this system some of the money needed will be raised by first applying a fixed charge (ie a flat amount) evenly across all ratepayers. This forms part of the general or differential general rate and ensures that everyone contributes fairly for the administration and services offered by the Council. The remaining money required is then collected from all ratepayers based upon the value of each ratepayer's property. OR
4. A Minimum Amount. This provides a mechanism by which lower valued properties pay not less than a flat (minimum) amount. Generally only a small proportion of properties pay a minimum amount and it cannot be more than 35% of all properties.

Councils may also use a separate rate (for a specified purpose) or a service rate or charge (for a specific service).

Campbelltown sets a general rate and minimum rate across the Community. The minimum rate for 2023/2024 is $1,118.