A PROPOSAL to introduce an environmental levy that would increase Tweed Shire rates by an average of $13 a year will return to the council on Thursday night.

Cr Warren Polglase, who first mooted the idea of the levy in August, has highlighted six environmental projects he believes the money should be spent on.

They include biodiversity and bushland management; vertebrate pest management; sustainable agricultural program; sustainability programs; integrated water cycle management, and riverbank management.

Cr Warren Polglase argues that the levy would raise $500,000 annually to spend on environmental initiatives that would ordinarily be taken from the general fund thus freeing up money which could be used to fix roads.

He said the council needed to find alternative funding arrangements as rate capping at 3.4% would not change regardless of which party was in state government.

Cr Polglase told fellow councillors last year that other NSW councils already had such a levy and Tweed should also be "bold enough and brave enough" to look outside the square.

But the levy is expected to attract opposition.

Cr Michael Armstrong said that councillors had been provided with disturbing figures that showed a significant proportion of ratepayers were already under financial pressure.

Thursday night's council meeting will be held at Banora Point Community Centre.

It will be the first time a council meeting has been staged outside council's Murwillumbah headquarters since 2008.