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Thursday April 30, 2026 
10 February 2025
North Sydney Council’s two Liberal councillors, Efi Carr and Jessica Keen, will move tonight to withdraw the Council’s controversial Special Rate Variation proposal which calls for an 87% rate increase, urging immediate financial reforms and cost-cutting measures instead. The motion, to be presented at the council meeting on February 10, calls for a reassessment of the SRV justification, greater transparency and a review of financial policies to address budget discrepancies.
The motion argues that the council should shift focus from the proposed rate rise towards reducing expenses and implementing financial reform strategies without delay. “Structural reform cannot wait for the SRV implementation in July 2025; urgent expense management is required to maintain financial sustainability,” the motion states.
The proposal calls for an immediate review of financial policies, including halting non-essential expenditures for the second half of the financial year (January–June 2025), rather than waiting for the SRV’s scheduled implementation. “We must acknowledge the need for transparency regarding the financial implications of the SRV and the timeline of its development, particularly in light of the April 2023 baseline report and the subsequent budget discrepancies revealed in the 2024/25 financial year,” the motion reads.
Carr and Keen also stressed the need for a comprehensive evaluation of the SRV justification, including omitted comparisons with City of Sydney and Parramatta rates. “A thorough review must include the inclusion of omitted critical comparisons, clarification of discrepancies between forecast deficits and actual cash surpluses over the next 10 years, and evaluation of alternative revenue sources such as potential asset sales, government grants, and efficiency programs,” it states.
A key element of the motion is a commitment to structural reforms aimed at addressing rising operational and wage costs without shifting the financial burden onto the community. “We must commit to structural reforms and efficiency programs that address escalating operational and wage costs without placing an undue financial burden on the community,” they argue.
The motion from Carr and Keen directly challenges a motion to adopt a report led by Chief Financial Officer Aigul Utegenova and Director of Corporate Services Luke Harvey, which advocates for a Special Rate Variation to ensure long-term financial sustainability.
That proposal, first presented in November 2024, calls for “a complete strategic overhaul of Council’s finances” and outlined the need for an SRV to address infrastructure and service delivery plans. This requires a rate increase of 45% in 2025/26 and 29% in 2026/27, culminating in a cumulative rise of 87.05% over two years.
Council argued that while productivity savings and financial efficiencies had been pursued, they were “not of a scale that can ensure long-term financial sustainability.”