70c rates credit offered after Indigo Council accidentally overcharged

The Victorian government has ruled councils cannot put up rates by more than 2.25 per cent each year, but Indigo’s rise was mistakenly set at 2.29 per cent.

The error was revealed in the agenda for the October council meeting and will be debated by councillors on Tuesday night.

“The total amount raised by this additional 0.04 per cent was $5435, an average of 62 cents per property,” the report stated.

“Council staff have investigated this error and the annual rate-setting process has been modified to ensure that this error will not occur again.”

Staff discovered the mistake when completing their annual report to the Essential Services Commission and say it was quickly reported.

Indigo Council’s solution will be to lower the standard “municipal charge” in rates from $305.70 to $305.

“This will bring the annual rate increase in alignment with the rate cap and return Indigo Shire Council to a compliant position,” the council report stated.

“The ESC supports this approach if council choose to make this change.”

Fixing the mistake will cost the council less than $1000 in work, by reducing rates by 70 cents or offering those who have already paid in full a 70-cent credit on next year’s rates.

Tuesday’s council meeting will also feature a motion from Cr Larry Goldsworthy, calling for the release of data presented by Goulburn Murray Water on the use of groundwater in Stanley.

It comes after he was one of just two councillors to support a second water extraction licence for Stanley.

“Many of the emotive arguments by the councillors for refusal of the permit were made around the extraction of water,” Cr Goldsworthy said.

“For all this concern that was expressed during the debate there appears to have been a willing ignorance to avoid the facts being introduced. The GMW presentation provided the facts sorely missing.”