Each year, the City of Karratha looks at:

• the services it provides (such as roads, waste, parks and community facilities),
• how much these services will cost,
• and what other income it receives (such as grants, fees & charges and investments).

After this review, the City has determined it will need to raise $69.5 million from property rates in the 2026/27 financial year to continue delivering local services.

Rates are calculated using rate in the dollar, which is simply the amount charged for each dollar of a property’s gross rental value (GRV) or unimproved value (UV). A minimum payment also applies, which means every property contributes at least a set amount, even if the calculated rate would be lower.

Properties valued using gross rental value (GRV) are proposed to increase by 4%, which works out to an average increase of around $1.80 per week for residential ratepayer for the 2026/27 financial year. Properties valued using unimproved value (UV) are proposed to increase by 6%. These increases have been carefully set to balance current cost‑of‑living pressures with the need to continue delivering reliable local services. On average across all categories rates revenue will increase 4.5%, which is below the Perth CPI of 4.6% (March 2026).

The proposed differential rates for the 2026/27 financial year are detailed in Table 1 below:

Table 1: 2026/27 proposed differential rates.

The City’s approach aims to absorb rising costs where possible through its property investments, grant funding, fees & charges and other revenue streams.

Community members were invited to review the proposed Differential Rates Model and provide feedback between 1 May and 27 May 2026. A total of 64 submissions were received during the consultation period.

The consultation period provided ratepayers with an opportunity to review the proposed Differential Rates Model and share their views. Feedback received will help inform Council's consideration of the model before a final decision is made.