Supplementary Agenda of General Meeting

Community and Environment Division

Date of Meeting: 10/06/2026

ITEM 3

GM6/26 - Adoption of Council's 2026-2030 Delivery Program and 2026/27 Operational Plan (incorporating the Budget, Rating Structure and Fees and Charges)

Additional information with NO CHANGE to Recommendation

Berowra Waters River Property Annual Waste Services Charge – Community Consultation

Berowra Waters on-river properties do not have access to Council’s standard kerbside domestic waste management services. As such, over the past decade or so, Council has been providing on-river properties with access to a range of alternative waste services with two drop off bin stations serviced multiple times per week and two bulk waste and one bulk green waste collection events per year.

To date, on-river property owners utilising these Berowra Waters waste services have not been charged to access these important waste services. The cost of these services has been covered by other Shire residents who pay a Domestic Waste Management Services Charge for their kerbside services.

Council is now considering imposing a new annual charge on Berowra Waters on-river properties that do not have a kerbside waste service and who have access to the above detailed alternative waste services. This new annual waste services charge would ensure Council can recover the cost of providing these waste services, which under the NSW Local Government Act cannot be funded through ordinary rates revenues and must have a separate annual waste charge levied by Council.

On 1 July 2026, Council proposes to introduce a new Berowra Waters River Property – Access to Resident Waste Services charge of $360 pa per ratable on-river residential dwelling. This new charge is based on a cost recovery model, allowing Council to cover the cost of providing these important waste services to Berowra Waters on-river properties. This new annual waste service charge, if adopted by Council, would then appear on affected property owners 2026/27 Rates Notice.

On 8 May 2026 Council Officers wrote to Berowra Waters on-river property owners advising that Council will be considering the proposed draft 2026-27 Fees and Charges along with the Delivery Program and Operational Plan Report to Council on 10 June 2026 following the public exhibition period. Council Officers also engaged with the Berowra Waters Progress Association to provide the Committee and their members with relevant information. As the formal exhibition period for the Delivery Program and Operational Plan closed on the 11 May, an extension of time was given to the 29 May 2026 for affected residents to make a submission.

Twenty-nine (29) submissions were received from Berowra Waters river property owners, with the following summary highlighting issues of concern raised:

· Many residents objected to the new charge being implemented as residents believe they already receive reduced local services or local infrastructure for their general rates contributions, which they feel inequitably subsidise services or infrastructure elsewhere in the Shire.

· Many residents noted the SRV increases and lack of local services provided by Council, stating they were advised by Council during the SRV consultation process that they get waste services for their general rates.

· Residents already have costs imposed on them to self-transport waste and recycling to the Council provided waste drop off stations or collection events.

· Some residents noted that they only occupied their properties on weekends or holidays and generated little waste and requested an opt-out option. Some residents note properties used as Air B&Bs generated excessive waste and should face additional charges.

· Residents beyond Coba Point (towards the Hawksbury) requested to be excluded from the Berowra Waters charge as they advise they utilise waste disposal services at Brooklyn Marina, and do not utilise the Berowra Waters waste services.

· Some residents noted they believed the general public, boaters, local businesses or trades services had access to and utilised bins at the western bin station which would be contributing to Council waste costs. A number of residents called for a fenced compound for the western bin station.

· Some residents requested more transparency on Council’s costs to provide Berowra Waters waste services.

· A number of residents were critical regarding the adoption of the charge in 2022 fees and charges (noting it was not applied) without community consultation and also of the late community consultation currently being undertaken and requested the charge be deferred.

· Some residents called for a waste service review, increased services, including barge collections, the addition of green waste bins at the western bin station, and additional bulk green waste collection events to address fire risks.

· Some residents expressed they were prepared to pay for local waste services and supportive of the cost recovery charge.

A detailed summary of the submissions can be found at Attachment 1 - Table 1A, along with an appropriate response.

Noting the above submission themes, the fact remains that Council provides Berowra Waters river properties with access to and availability of alternative domestic waste management services, allowing residents to have local waste disposal and recycling options when needed, rather than having to self-transport waste to the nearest waste transfer stations at Seven Hills or Kimbriki, or organising their own commercial rubbish removal services, likely to be at significantly greater expense.

Council incurs direct costs for the provision of these Berowra Waters waste services which are not permitted to be funded through ordinary rates and require an annual waste service charge or to be funded via other residents’ Domestic Waste Management Charge revenues as has been occurring historically. The proposed annual charge is directly related to the cost of providing these services. It is not possible to allow property owners to opt-out of the annual charge and maintain a cost recovery approach for the alternative waste services that are being made available for Berowra Waters river properties to access and utilise when needed.

A western bin station compound will be constructed before the end of the 2026-27 financial year restricting access to the bin station to authorised residents only. Public litter bins and commercial waste services to local businesses in the area are not costed within the proposed Berowra Waters annual waste charge.

It is recommended that Council adopt and commence levying the proposed Berowra Waters annual waste charge.

RECOMMENDATION

THAT:

1. Council note the responses provided in Table 1A. to the public submissions received during the exhibition of the draft 2026-2030 Delivery Program and 2026/27 Operational Plan.

2. Subject to incorporation of the recommendations detailed in the Budget section, Table 1A. and Table 1B. attachments, Council adopt the 2026-2030 Delivery Program and 2026/27 Operational Plan including the Budget and 2026/27 Fees and Charges.

3. Council make and levy the 2026/27 Ordinary Rates on all rateable land in the Shire that aligns with Year 4 of the Independent Pricing and Regulatory Tribunal’s (IPART) Special Rate Variation approval for Hornsby Shire Council (i.e., a 5.5% rate increase for 2026/27) and in accordance with Table 2 of General Manager’s Report No. GM6/26.

4. Council make and levy the 2026/27 Catchment Remediation Rate on all rateable land in the Shire that aligns with Year 4 of the Independent Pricing and Regulatory Tribunal’s (IPART) Special Rate Variation approval for Hornsby Shire Council (i.e., a 5.5% rate increase for 2026/27) and in accordance with Table 3 of General Manager’s Report No. GM6/26.

5. Council write to submitters thanking them for their feedback.

Chris Horsey

Manager - Waste Management

Community and Environment Division

Stephen Fedorow

Director - Community and Environment

Community and Environment Division

Attachments:

SUPPLEMENTARY TABLE 1A. Submissions Received – Public Exhibition of Draft 2026-2031 Delivery Program and 2026/27 Operational Plan (DPOP) including Budget and 2026-2027 Fees and Charges – Berowra Waters River Property Annual Waste Services Charge

File Reference: F2004/07027

Document Number: D09373413