Gold Coast ratepayers may soon bear the financial burden of recovery efforts following Cyclone Alfred, with the council considering a new levy in its upcoming budget.
The proposed charge aims to offset the escalating costs associated with repairing damage inflicted by the cyclone.
Extensive damage to beaches stretching from Surfers Paradise to the Spit remains evident three months after the cyclone’s impact.
Rebuilding these beaches is estimated to cost at least $50 million.
This figure is in addition to expenses incurred from broader clean-up operations, including tree removal and road clearing.
Gold Coast City Council is proposing a “disaster management response and recovery” charge on ratepayer bills to recoup these expenses.
“We’ve got to have a reserve to be able to activate clean up quickly, the skip bins, all those sort of things come at a cost,” Mayor Tom Tate said.
Efforts are under way to enhance the resilience of Gold Coast beaches in preparation for future weather events. However, funds allocated for disaster recovery are reportedly dwindling.
The Gold Coast City Council is scheduled to vote on the final amount for the proposed levy on Friday.
While the federal government is expected to contribute to the recovery effort, its financial commitment remains unconfirmed.
“It could come up higher as I’m getting additional costs where we’ve got to upgrade our other infrastructure” Tate said.
“When we have disaster after disaster, you know, we, we can’t, we can’t wear it, we need help.”
The extent of federal government funding is yet to be determined.
This article was produced with the assistance of 9ExPress.
