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By Sean Carroll
Its 10am inside the Windsor Council Chambers and about 35 concerned citizens gathered, their shared focus: the Council’s proposed Special Rate Variation (SRV).
The meeting, attended by Councilor’s Amanda Kotlash, Mike Creed, Danielle Wheeler, Peter Ryan, Mayor Les Sheather and Deputy Mayor Sarah McMahon.
Opening Confessions
In her opening address, Hawkesbury Council General Manager Elizabeth Richardson acknowledged a truth that resonated through the room: the cost of living is rising for everyone, including Council. But it was her next statement that truly caught attention.
She asked how aware the community really was of the SRV and then outlined the rate peg system imposed by NSW legislation, the mechanism that limits how much councils can raise rates each year. While Council is financially constrained to put up rates as it sees fit, questions linger among those gathered about how much of the current financial burden faced by Council is self-inflicted.
The Go Nowhere System
A Council administrative officer who appeared unsure of the Council’s position, displayed a chart from the Office of Local Government’s Integrated Planning and Reporting Framework (2021). The diagram, looping endlessly back on itself, appeared to symbolize much of what frustrates ratepayers, bureaucracy that seems to move but never progress with no clear endpoint or outcome. It is reflective of how many residents feel their roads and infrastructure that have fallen into disrepair.
The Numbers Behind the Nervousness
Council’s Director of Finance presented figures suggesting the Council is heading toward a budget deficit. The financial reality was clear: without new revenue sources, including the proposed SRV rise, services and maintenance may continue to suffer.
Added to these sobering numbers, the Director of Infrastructure and Asset Management painted an even more worrying picture. He admitted the Council is operating with old equipment, incomplete records, and over-inflated asset valuations. His explanation that Council still uses outdated technology for road repairs only deepened the concern especially when he later argued against adopting modern tools that could improve efficiency. The contradiction didn’t go unnoticed.
Orderly Questions, Uneasy Answers
Public questions were calm but pointed. Councillor Peter Ryan suggested fitting cameras to garbage trucks to monitor road conditions, a practical, data-driven idea. Yet the Director of Infrastructure dismissed it, citing “information overload” experienced by Camden Council. His comment implied an uncomfortable truth: if such a system revealed more data, it might expose the true state of the Hawkesbury’s roads.
One resident reminded Council that around a third of its revenue comes from rates, prompting an uncomfortable question: Has there been a culture of projects running over budget and under-delivering for years?
When Rates Rise, So Should Accountability
Bob Gribbin spoke passionately about the unfairness of using property values to determine rates, noting that areas like Oakville have seen rate spikes thanks to rising land values in neighbouring developments such as Box Hill and The Gables. His question about weight limits for heavy trucks on semi-rural roads touched a nerve the balance between growth, safety, and maintenance is one the Council has yet to strike.
Councillors Mike Creed and Danielle Wheeler both acknowledged the issue, agreeing that heavy vehicles on spray-sealed roads are accelerating the deterioration of local infrastructure across the Hawkesbury.
Then came a question that pierced the room: if the community is to shoulder the SRV, would senior management including the General Manager and the Directors of Finance and Infrastructure be willing to accept a decrease in pay of the same size rate payers are being asked by them to incur with future pay rises tied to performance and delivery of SRV goals?
It was a rare moment of civic honesty: the public demanding that leadership share in both the burden and accountability of reform, the offer was rejected.
The Road Ahead – still full of potholes
Several takeaways emerged from the meeting. There were:
· Upgrade and replace aging equipment, possibly through long-term lease plans.
· Raise the quality and productivity of road construction and maintenance.
· Reassess the viability of future developments, given that new estates such as Red Bank Plains and Jacaranda Ponds as according to Council they contribute little to revenue while placing an increased burden on Council services.
The SRV debate is more than a question of budgets and rates it’s a test of governance culture. The community is asking not just for higher rates, but for higher standards: transparency, accountability, and a vision for sustainable infrastructure.
The meeting at Hawkesbury Council Chambers showed something encouraging beneath the frustration, a community that still believes in its power to question, to participate, and to demand better from Councilor’s and Council Administration.
Sean Caroll is a Hawkesbury Radio Commentator on local politics. He attended an information session held by Hawkesbury Council to discuss the Special Rate Variation at Hawkesbury Council Chambers on 14 October 2025.
