Toowoomba rural fire levy set at $35 for eligible properties

Owners of rateable land in the Toowoomba Region that attracts a Class E Emergency Management Levy will pay a $35 Rural Fire Equipment Levy in 2026/27.

The charge applies only to land liable to pay the Class E emergency management levy. Council made the special charge to fund the ongoing provision and maintenance of rural firefighting equipment, operations and buildings for the rural fire brigades that operate throughout the region’s rural areas.

Council said the rateable land levied under the plan specially benefits from the fire emergency response capability provided by those brigades, and that capability would be substantially diminished if the brigades did not receive the funding provided through the charge.

The overall plan runs for one year, with an estimated cost of $453,000.

The rural fire levy sits alongside other targeted charges for 2026/27. Council also imposed a Public Transport Levy of $43.58 per rateable assessment and kept a $432,760.70 Library Related Activities Levy on Grand Central Shopping Centre.

For affected landholders, the $35 charge adds a fixed cost on top of ordinary rates and any other applicable levies. It applies to properties already attracting the Class E emergency management charge, rather than to all rateable land across the region.

Council’s resolution says the levy will support rural firefighting equipment, operations and buildings for brigades working throughout the rural areas of the region.