You may not know it, but Council’s Landcare and Bushcare programs are partly funded by your Local Environment Levy.

The Environment Levy is paid as part of your Council rates (if you are a property owner) and costs, on average, around $43 per year (83 cents per week).

Council raises around $1.5million a year through the Levy. These funds are vital to the delivery of Council’s environmental programmes, including Bushcare, Landcare and Bush Backyards.

Thanks to the Environment Levy, Council has been able to significantly expand Bushcare and Landcare activities over the last ten years. It has also developed Council’s Bush Backyards and Resident Weed Support programs, which support weed control and conservation activities on private lands.

The current Levy has been in place since 2005 and will expire in June 2015.

This year, Council will apply to the independent regulator that determines local government rates (the Independent Pricing and Regulatory Tribunal) for a permanent extension to the Levy.

You will have an opportunity to have your say about this proposal in July – August. During this period, Council will be asking the community to identify how we can best meet its needs and priorities while building a successful future for the Blue Mountains.

Further information on how you can have your say will be available through a ratepayer mail-out, on Council’s website and in the local press. In the meantime, you can show your support for the Environment Levy by letting people know that it supports your work.

 

To find more about the local environmental projects supported by the Environment Levy, visit www.bmcc.nsw.gov.au/environmentlevy