Rating Ballina Shire Council
How does Ballina Shire Council rate in comparison with other local government areas in NSW?
The State Government’s annual review for 2004-05 can be viewed in full at the Department of Local Government’s website.
Here’s just some of the satistics and comparisons with other councils (Ballina Shire is ranked in Group 4, with the ranking determined by socio-economic characteristics. Other councils in Group 4 include Lismore, Byron, Albury, Kempsey, Richmond Valley and Tamworth):
Rates:
Ballina Shire’s average per residential assessment in 2004-05 was $516.17. The Group 4 highest was Kiama ($928), the lowest was Richmond Valley ($423.52) and the Group average was $619.96.
Ballina Shire’s average per farmland assessment was $829.43. Group 4’s highest was Shellharbour ($3009.17), the lowest was Great Lakes ($410) and the Group average was $1134.69.
Ballina Shire’s average per business assessment was $839.44, the lowest in the Group. The Group highest was Albury ($3860.68) and the average was $2313.46.
Current ratio:
The Department of Local Government says this is an indicator of a council’s ability to meet its financial obligations — for example, paying for goods and services supplied. A ratio of 1.5:1 means unrestricted assets are available to meet unrestricted current liabilities. Less than 1.5 means a council could be in financial trouble. A rating of 1.5:1 to 2.1 is satisfactory. A rating better than 2.1 is very good.
Ballina Shire’s rating was 5.22. Wagga Wagga had the Group 4 highest (5.44) and Lithgow the lowest (1.09). The Group 4 average was 2.61.
Development application speed:
This is measured in the number of calendar days a council takes to approve a DA. Ballina Shire’s figure was 41.36 days. The longest in Group 4 was Byron Shire (85.23 days) and the shortest was Broken Hill (4.3 days). The Group 4 average was 40.78 days.
Ballina determined 1119 DAs in 2003-04. The highest in Group 4 was Maitland (1880).
For the record, Ballina Shire’s population as at June 30, 2004, was 39,546.
