Tuesday’s revelation by the Victorian Ombudsman that Wodonga Council has overcharged ratepayers $18 million for waste management services in the past decade is shocking.

Yes, there may have been a loophole in the Local Government Act which means the council hasn’t, technically, breached any laws.

Yes, the surplus may have been used to maintain public bins and parks and, yes, 72 out of 79 councils may have separate waste charges but just because everyone’s doing it doesn’t mean it’s right.

What’s beyond dispute is that out of those 72 councils the Ombudsman has investigated Wodonga and found, without doubt, that it collected $18 million in extra revenue from its waste management levy.

In layman’s terms, they’ve gone through the back door to implement a rate rise to avoid “unnecessary negative public reaction”.

According to knowyourcouncil.vic.gov.au, the average rates bill for a property in Wodonga is $2072, more than $360 higher than similar councils and $500 above all councils across the state.

There’s no doubt that rate-capping has made things more challenging for regional councils but given it was only introduced in Victoria in 2016, it’s no excuse and won’t wash with ratepayers.

The Ombudsman’s report found the overcharging goes back at least a decade, before Anna Speedie was mayor and well before the current council took shape. In any case, it would appear council staff had a lot more visibility over the exorbitant waste management levy than councillors.

Cr Speedie went to great lengths to defend the council and its “transparency”, refusing to acknowledge any wrongdoing. She did say council had "worked closely with our community" at least five times, though.

Sounds like “bin spin” to us.

Cr Speedie’s view is at odds with Cr Ron Mildren, who is spot on when he says “it was done to avoid transparency” and “it simply fails the pub test”.

Wodonga Ratepayers' Association president Ian Deegan raised a valid point when he asked: “If they are hiding this sort of thing what else are they hiding?”

Unless they get answers quickly, ratepayers will soon run out of patience.