Central Highlands Regional Council to acquire Lot 49, Campbell Street, Emerald if rates are not paid

Time is running out for Emerald property owners who owe more than $20,000 to council in rates which have not been paid in more than three years. Full details here.

A parcel of land with more than $20,000 worth of overdue rates attached to it is set to be resumed by Central Highlands Regional Council if its owners don’t pay up.

In early May, CHRC posted a ‘Summary of Notice of Intention to Acquire Land for Overdue Local Government Rates and Charges’ in relation to the land located at Lot 49 on Campbell Street in Emerald.

The Date of Notice was issued to the property owners on Thursday, February 24, 2022.

It was decided at an ordinary CHRC meeting on Wednesday, October 2021 that the council would acquire the land because the government rates and charges had not been paid for more than three years.

Interest has been added to the overdue rates and charges from the date they became overdue at 11 per cent annum for 2014 to 2019 financial years, 9.83 per cent annum for the 2019 to 2020 financial year, and 8.53 per cent annum for the 2020 to 2021 financial year.

This includes the date after the due date for payment of each rate or charge calculated on daily rests, and as compound interest.

The total of the overdue local government rates and charges at the date of the Notice of Intention to Acquire Land is $15,131.00.

The accrued interest to the date of the Notice of Intention to Acquire Land is $5,987.76.

The total overdue local government rates and charges including interest owed to CHRC at the date of the Notice was $21,118.76.

However, if the current owners of the land pay the council the outstanding local government rates and charges, including any interest up to the date of payment, within six months of the notice, the council will not continue the acquisition of the property.

If they fail to do so the council will claim the land and sell it to get the total money that was overdue.

If the council makes more money from the sale of the land than that which is outstanding, the previous owners will receive the rest of the profit.

Further information, including a full copy of the Notice of Intention to Acquire Land, which outlines each of the overdue local government rates and charges that includes interest about the land in question, and the relevant laws surrounding the council’s acquisition of the land can be found on the CHRC’s website.

The current owners have until Wednesday, August 24 to pay the money they owe council to keep the land.

The council has been contacting one of the registered owners of the land for the past six years about taking over the land.

The site is 5,254 sqm of land that is irregularly shaped or about 20 metres wide, and runs parallel to the back of houses on Retro Street and Sunflower Place.

“This was the first time council has issued a notice of intention to acquire land for overdue rates and charges,” a CHRC spokesperson said.

“Previously council has conducted two sale of land processes and issued notices of intention to sell land for overdue rates and charges.

“The last sale of land action to recover overdue rates and charges was conducted on 15 August 2019 for the sale of three properties which were all vacant land.

“Only one of the properties was sold and as the remaining two properties did not receive any bids at the auction, they were returned to the rate book in the name of the original owners.”