COUNCILLOR Glyn Rees has said he would have voted in favour of a five per cent rates rise had he been present at this week's council meeting where the rise was adopted.

Cr Rees was absent from Wednesday's meeting for personal reasons, creating a four-all deadlock when Mayor Peter Blundell and his fellow councillors came to vote on revenue measures in the new council budget.

The deadlock was broken by Cr Blundell who used his mayoral casting vote to get the package through, with measures also including a cut in the 10% rates discount of 2.5% and a $45 jump in the minimum general rate, bringing it up to $970.

Deputy Mayor Ross Bartley and Crs Vic Pennisi, Jamie Mackenzie and Cameron Gow all voted against the revenue package on Wednesday, and likewise voted against the rest of the 2014-2015 budget adopted at a separate budget meeting in Warwick yesterday.

Cr Blundekll and Crs Neil Meiklejohn, Jo McNally, Denise Ingram and Glyn Rees voted in favour of the remainder of the budget yesterday.

Cr Rees told the Daily News he would have been supportive of Wednesday's revenue changes, which Cr Blundell says will enable a balanced budget and possibly a small surplus.

"A balanced budget is a priority for council, an absolute priority," Cr Rees said.

"Things are very tight and it's important for us that we finish in the black.

"We will be doing the best we can to address the basics when it comes to the services we provide as a council."

Along with massive funding cuts to local councils by the State and Federal governments, the budget revenue measures are also being driven by a Queensland Auditor-General's report in April that the Southern Downs Regional Council is one of 16 out of 68 Queensland councils as being at a higher than average risk of becoming financially unsustainable.

Local Government Association of Queensland chief executive Greg Hallam said at the time that a series of decisions by the previous Labor government, including the withdrawal of State Government subsidies, had hit council finances and forced an increase in local government borrowing in order to maintain services to local communities.

"Those decisions have caused councils to lose about $850 million in revenue each year," he said.

"For many councils that has meant a choice between maintaining services and infrastructure through borrowing and increased rates, or cutting back on services."

Councillor Jamie Mackenzie did not support the adoption of the 2014/15 budget.

"We needed to cut our housekeeping expenses in the budget," he said.

"The mayor's budget that reduces the annual rate discount for prompt payment will make it particularly hard for our larger ratepayers.

"Those in agricultural, retail, commercial and industrial entities that continue to struggle with economic downtown and adverse drought conditions," Cr Mackenzie said.

See tomorrow's Daily News for more information on the budget.

Expenditure highlights

 $6.06 million for road maintenance

 $6,84 million road & bridges capital works

 $2.85 million for water and waste water capital works

 $3.84 million for waste water operations

 $5.05 million for water operations

 $3.48 million for parks and gardens operations

 $3.85 million for plant replacement

 $459,000 Northern Granite Belt waste transfer station

 $2.85 million for Council's waste facilities & collection operations costs

 $1.27 million towards pest management activities

 $514,000 towards domestic animal control across the region

 $100,000 flood & emergency warning system

 $200,000 for works at Stanthorpe Aerodromes

 $100,000 for capital works at the Warwick Saleyards

 $1.97 million for library programs across the region

 $1.33 million for economic development (including $570,000 for tourism)

 $300,000 Stanthorpe Animal Pound

 $2.49 million for swimming pools operations

 $621,000 for footpath maintenance

 $662,000 for saleyards operations and maintenance

 $585,000 million for art & culture

  $840,000 for cemeteries operations and maintenance