Geelong council apologises to ratepayers for failing to include due date of rate payments
Geelong council sparked confusion when it failed to include a due date on rate notices sent to thousands of people.
Geelong
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Geelong council’s failure to include a due date on the fourth instalment of rate notices has left local ratepayers confused.
One ratepayer said he received his notice via email which did not include the due date.
The date that the rates had to be paid by was May 31, however the notices did not include this information.
“I was a little concerned it may have been a ploy to pay the rates earlier than they needed to be paid,” the ratepayer said.
City Hall’s executive director of corporate services Troy Edwards said the notices issued via email on May 3 to 15,790 ratepayers did not include a due date, however all other information was correct.
“We issued new emails to those ratepayers containing the due date and an apology for our error,” he said.
“Printed notices issued at the same time included the due date.”
No extensions will be required because legislation dictates that councils are only required to give a minimum 14 days’ notice.
The Geelong Advertiser reported last month that residential rates were expected to reap $195m next financial year, an increase of 4.5 per cent, according to the draft budget for public consultation.
Rates on vacant, farm and mixed used land are also expected to rise at a similar level, but City Hall has been able to meet the state government’s 2.75 per cent rate cap by reducing commercial rates by 5 per cent.
It is hoped this will bring more investment to the region.
The waste charge, which does not form part of the rate cap, will increase 3.5 per cent to $473.25.
Rates are a general purpose levy, which contribute to more than 120 services plus essential infrastructure such as roads, footpaths, parks, gardens, libraries and sports facilities.
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Originally published as Geelong council apologises to ratepayers for failing to include due date of rate payments
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