Cr Williams said the $220 million budget included some of the largest rates and fees hikes in South East Queensland.

She said the 6.5 per cent average rise in general residential rates and an 11.5 per cent hike in commercial rates was unacceptable and would cause hardship across the city.

A reduction in tip fees, a budget highlight, was to "buy votes" before next year's election and would only return fees back to 2009 levels, she said.

Cr Williams said the 6.5 per cent average residential rate rise across the city compared poorly with a 1.79 per cent increase in average residential rates in Brisbane.

"There is something wrong with Redlands if Moreton Bay Regional Council has a 3.26 per cent increase and there is a 3.5 per cent increase at both the Sunshine Coast and Gold Coast," Cr Williams said.

"Ipswich's average general rates rose 3.52 per cent but its headline rate, which included a disaster levy, rose 11.31 per cent.

"Two of these councils even delivered record capital budgets despite their lower general rate increases, while Redlands slashed its capital budget from $88.7million to $49.7million.

"This is Melva's election budget - usually election budgets have sweeteners and minimum rate increases.

"But a rise of 11.5 per cent in commercial rates is ridiculously high and unacceptable and I'd like to know how the council was able to revise down a forecast 17.5 per cent increase in commercial rates in less than a month.

"The tip fee reduction is just pork-barrelling to garner votes and before this council there were no tip fees.

"If I win at the next election, I will abolish tip fees," she said.

Mayor Melva Hobson called on Cr Williams to explain how she would reduce rates and what staff and services she would cut to reduce expenditure if she ditched tip fees.

Cr Williams said the council's 6.09 per cent headline rate, or the average rate rise across all 45 rating categories, including utility charges, was damning and a blatant misuse of statistics.