Toowoomba council releases list of properties with $1.2m in unpaid rates, charges, including United Petroleum service station Highfields

The annual list of properties facing auction due to unpaid rates and charges has been released — and a service station with an enormous bill is among them. SEE THE LIST HERE:

United Petroleum opened at 67 Highfields Rd, complete with five pumps and an offering of Pie Face and Mrs Fields products

A recently-built service station in a fast-growing Toowoomba community is among 58 properties potentially facing a forced sale at auction by the council due to unpaid rates and charges.

The Toowoomba Regional Council has released its annual list of homes and land parcels that have outstanding debts on them, totalling $1.17m as of June 5 at an average of about $20,000 per property.

But this average has been skewed by the presence of a $368,000 debt by the United Petroleum service station in Highfields.

The servo, which also includes a Pie Face bakery inside, was developed by the fuel giant and approved in 2017 but wasn’t completed until August 2020.

Rates and revenue principal Shayne Morris told councillors on Wednesday the amount was actually the infrastructure charges owed by the developer to the council following its construction.

The bill becomes payable once the use of the land officially changes, in line with work finishing.

While the council has the power to force the auction of any property that has outstanding rates or charges for more than three years, the list is mainly used to encourage owners to clear the debt quickly.

Auctions for any remaining properties are usually held in November.

When asked by councillor Trevor Manteufel about the protocol for properties with a significant mortgage attached, Mr Morris said often the bank or lender would simply pay the debt to avoid it getting sold at below market rate.