The community information session, scheduled for Monday, June 1 from 5-7pm at the Ararat Senior Citizens Centre, was agreed on at Tuesday night's council meeting after being tabled by councillor Glenda McLean.

Cr McLean said it was important that the community had the chance to ask questions of the councillors and council staff following the adoption of the 2015-16 Draft Budget earlier this month.

A rate rise of 4.2 per cent has been proposed.

"We need to give (people) an opportunity to make their comments and ask the questions of the budget and what the outcome for each individual rate payer will be," Cr McLean said.

"In speaking to this motion it is clear to councillors and members of this community that we have tried hard on the budget for 2015-16, but as stated on the 5th of May it is a draft and we owe it to this municipality that we have the principles right and the financial detail open to scrutiny.

"The principle in terms of starting this discussion occurred at the December 16 2014 Council Meeting and the motion that was passed by councillors stated 'That Council commence work on a rate rise for 2015-16 no higher than the CPI and set the Farm Rate of no more than 55 per cent of the General Rate'.

"On the 5th of May 2015 Council passed the motions regarding a 4.2 per cent rate rise and a farm rate of 55 per cent of the General Rate."

With the Consumer Price Index rising 1.9 per cent through the year to the March quarter (2015), Cr McLean made it clear that she doesn’t believe that the proposed 4.2 per cent Ararat Rural City rate rise has met the first half of the motion that was moved in December.

She has tabled to her fellow councillors the Victorian Government’s Local Government - Rates Capping and Variation Framework consultation paper, which she says coherently explains all the issues around Local Government expenditure.

Cr McLean said the 2015 Draft Rating Strategy — outlined on age seven of Tuesday’s Ararat Advertiser — was a good indication of what people can expect to pay during the next financial year when comparing it with their 2014-15 rate notice.

“We are expecting and hoping that people will look at this and what it means for them. We want to give them an opportunity to discuss and give feedback to us whether they are convinced that we are on the right track,” she said.

Members of the community have been encouraged to thoroughly read the Draft Budget and Rating Strategy documents to fully understand the implications and to make submissions before they come before council again in June for adoption.

Cr Gwenda Allgood said she agreed with Cr McLean, that a better process needs to be put in place so that people can be aware of what they’re expected to be paying before then making a submission.

“If we can have a system which Cr McLean is talking about where people can actually bring their rate notice to us and say ‘how much will mine vary?’, we will have a better understanding of what we are doing...that’s when people will be able to put in a submission about how it is going to affect them,” she said.

“One of the things that I find really interesting is that we pick up the paper and every day someone has got an opinion about how much it is going to cost for them and everybody seems to have a different idea on what is going to happen.

“I have a business, a house I own and a farm. For instance, on the proposal that we have before us — and that’s what we are asking for submissions on — my house will go up $182 (eight per cent rise), my shop will go up $191.80 (7.3 per cent rise) and my farm will go down one cent.

“I find that rather fascinating because that is across the board — three different (groups). It is very hard for people to judge what is going to happen until they get their rate notice in their hand.”