2015-02-03 Planning & Organisation Committee Agenda

PLANNING & ORGANISATION COMMITTEE MEETING AGENDA                              3 FEBRUARY 2015


3.     Rate Concessions

Details of the Council pensioner concessions granted on the January Levy are set out below.

                                      Maximum Rebate
     Type of Council Concession                                # Properties          Amount
                                         (1/2 year)
 Maximum/Sole Owner                       $115.00                  1,150            $132,181
 Maximum/Joint Owners                     $ 90.00                  1,189            $102,643
 Not Maximum/Sole Owner                    $57.50                   685             $39,387
 Not Maximum/Joint Owners                  $32.50                  1,060            $33,786
 Total                                                             4,084            $307,997

In addition to the pensioner concessions Council allowed general rate concessions on 48
properties totalling $56,804.95.

Details of the pensioner concessions funded by the State Government are as follows:-

State Government Rebates             # Properties           Amount

General Rates & Charge                  4,317               $425,040
State Emergency Management Levy         4,317               $65,273


4.     Credit Card Surcharge

Due to the introduction of the credit card surcharge there have been some changes required to the
payment options offered. Property owners are no longer able to make credit card payments via
Bpay, and credit card by phone payments are made through a Noosa Council pay by phone
number rather than through the Australia Post Billpay system.

Online payments continue to be processed through our website, which has been modified to
include the surcharge, as has Council’s receipting software.

Direct debit and payments made at Australia Post offices remain unaffected as Council has
previously not permitted these types of payments to be made using a credit card.


5.     Noosa Waters Lock & Weir Levy Refund

All Noosa Waters wet block property owners who purchased their property before 1 July 2014
received a credit refund on their rate notice for their proportion of the unspent Noosa Waters Lock
& Weir levy for each financial year since inception, pro-rated from the date they purchased the
property. In all 565 properties received refunds totalling $337,027.76. Letters were sent to all
affected property owners on the 13 th January explaining the refund and how it would appear on the
January rate notice. For 133 properties where the ownership has not changed since 1 July 2000
no further action is required. For the remaining 455 properties work will now commence on
calculating and refunding the amounts owed to past owners.


Previous Council Consideration

Nil.




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