Rates notices in local mailboxes soon

Thursday 25 July, 2019

A total of 28,349 Tamworth Regional Council rates notices – 129 more than last year – are expected to start to arrive in local mailboxes tomorrow.

Tamworth Regional Council’s total income from rates and charges for 2019/2020 is $73 million.

Tamworth Region Mayor Col Murray said he hopes ratepayers understand they get exceptional returns for every dollar they pay in rates.

“Council will spend a total of $179 million across its general, water and sewerage funds in 2019/20 with $73 million collected in income from rates and annual charges while we deliver an $80.7 million capital works program to improve local facilities and infrastructure and continue to provide a range of services,” he said.

The average increase to the region’s residential ratepayers for the 2019-2020 year is between $30 and $70.

The rates rise, which equates to between 58 cents and $1.35 a week, was applied after Council adopted the 2.7 per cent rate cap increase to the General Rate income as set by the Independent Pricing and Regulatory Tribunal (IPART) for all NSW councils.

Council will increase water, sewerage and trade waste service and waste management charges by 2.7 per cent. Consumption charges for water use will also increase by 2.7 per cent. Residential and business ratepayers will pay $23 more for sewer availability, $7 more for water availability for the year and $8 more for waste collection for the year.

Cr Murray said no Councillor is ever eager to increase rates and charges, but small annual rises are a financial reality.

“Council’s finances are quite solid but we face continual pressure with cost increases and changing expectations about what the core business of Council is,” he said.

“Councillors and staff work hard to maximise the use of the funds we have to provide our community’s needs and wants. I think on the whole we get that balance right more often than not.”

Tamworth residential ratepayers will provide a total of $20.872 million in General Rate income this financial year with Barraba accounting for a total of $360,263, Manilla $555,323, Kootingal $404,238 and the other villages in the region $223,091.

Business rates will return $6.518 million in income from 1,837 businesses and 3,009 rural properties will return farmland rates of $5.867 million.

Anyone who needs help to understand their rates notice can call Council on 1300 733625.

Rates can be paid in full or by instalment. The first rate instalment is due on August 31.

A range of payment options are explained on the back of rates notices. Payments can be made by direct debit, using BPay, by phone or in person at any of Council’s Customer Service Centres at Barraba, Manilla, Nundle and Tamworth or at Australia Post.

Any ratepayer having difficulty paying should call Council on 1300 733 625 and ask to discuss entering a special arrangement to pay their rates. Council has a Ratepayers Hardship Policy which can be accessed confidentially by anyone experiencing financial hardship.

Rates facts and figures

There are 24,009 notices mailed to Tamworth region postcodes. There are 4,340 notices mailed to postcodes outside the Tamworth region – to more than 835 different postcodes, including overseas. A total of 4,646 properties in the Tamworth Region Council area will receive pensioner rebates worth a total of $1,820,187.35 – up $12,418.75 from last year and about 36 notices more than last year. The largest rates bill this year is $98,559.66 for a Tamworth business property. The smallest notice issued is $263.24 for a residential block at Kootingal. The average Tamworth residential property rates bill total (including services) is $2,658, up $70 from last year. The average Barraba residential notice (including services) is $1,985, in Manilla $1,980, in Moonbi or Kootingal $1,897 and in the villages $1,956. The average Tamworth business property rates bill total (including services) is $5,661. The average business rate notice in Barraba is $2,494, in Manilla $2,934, in Moonbi or Kootingal $2,228 and in the villages $2,012. There are 3,009 farmland rate notices issued and the average notice is $2,106.