Federation Council will move to auction 36 properties in the shire with outstanding rates incurred over more than five years.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
The recommendation to sell the undisclosed properties to recover the rates at auctions in August was unanimously passed by councillors at their May meeting in Urana on Tuesday morning.
Councillor Gail Law commented that it was a "last ditch effort".
"I'm sure that most people are aware we do contact these ratepayers and try very hard to get them to pay their rates, to negotiate with them, in a manner that is quite substantial," she said.
"I feel the article in the (Border Mail) newspaper didn't quite make that obvious and I would like it to be known that it's the case we have made every effort to receive those rates and we are doing our best."
Deputy mayor Shaun Whitechurch said some of the properties had not paid rates for a period longer than five years, which is the minimum timeframe stipulated in the Local Government Act allowing council to force sale.
"Some are vacant blocks of land; it's not like there's 30-odd houses being put up for auction," he said.
In other news:
"The councils that have done this in the past have found a lot of the people who want to keep their block of land or property find the money.
"I'm not saying this will be the case here, but ... this gives them a decent chance to try and secure personal finance or something of the like, right up until two days before the actual auction.
"It's not going to happen until the 17th of August ... people aren't going to get an eviction notice tomorrow."
Councillors also heard an update on the Ball Park Caravan Park, where it has been recommended by an assessor that there be the "urgent removal of some trees" following near misses.
While it has not yet been costed council will be required in the near future to undertake removal of at least the three most urgent trees.
Cr Paul Miegel said it was important those costs be considered in budget planning.
"The risks are quite unacceptable and it needs to be communicated to everyone concerned that herein lies the crux of why we're doing what we're doing (at the park),: he said.
"We can't afford to leave it the way it is."
