[Simone Fisher]

https://www.olg.nsw.gov.au/news/council-rates-relief-bushfire-affected-communities

[Simone Fisher]

Hi all, the Media Release indicates that applications will be assessed & handled by Service NSW & then they will make a payment to Council.

We received a call from Service NSW this morning & are awaiting a return call from them. Once I have further information from them I’ll post here.
Thanks,
Simone

[Simone Fisher]

Hi,
Just an update. We were contacted by Corina from Service NSW yesterday afternoon. Corina advised that applications will be processed through Service NSW but they don’t yet have an application process in place. She will be contacting bushfire affected Council’s over the next couple of days taking a poll on what their preferred application option is. The two options that she will be putting to Council’s are:

Option 1.
Affected Council’s provide Service NSW with a list of assessments with dwellings that have been identified as being destroyed in the bushfires & the assessments third & fourth instalments. Service NSW will make a total payment to Council’s for this & Council’s will apply to individual assessments. Council’s would advise ratepayers of these payment & refund any credits if/where required.

Option 2.
Ratepayers bring their instalment notices to Service NSW & make application for payment. Payments are remitted to Council on an individual basis or a refund is issued to the ratepayer by Service NSW where the ratepayer can prove that they have already made payment.

She did advise that Option 1 is their preferred option as they would like to avoid ratepayers being further inconvenienced by having to make an application with them.

My concern with option 1 is that some Council’s may have hundreds of affected properties & putting a list together for them may not be easy. Corina advised that she will be contacting Council’s individually for their views & Service NSW will decide on an option based on this feedback.

We also raised our requirement to apply payments to the oldest debt first & if an assessment is in arrears the Service NSW payment could not be applied to instalment 3 & 4. Service NSW will be giving this some consideration & discussion with other affected Council’s.

Hopefully further information will be received from Service NSW shortly.

Thanks,

Simone

[Andrew Butcher]

Thanks Simone this is excellent information.

I have been in contact with the OLG and also LGNSW passing on all the items of concern and await a response. The last contact I have was on Thursday at 4.30pm from LGNSW advising that the OLG were aware of the issues raised and are the process of preparing a response.

Regards,
Andrew

[Pete Timmins]

Good morning,

We have been asked to provide rating information to ServiceNSW and I would like to discuss this request with other Bushfire Affected councils. I am concerned about some of the information they are requesting. Would you please contact me on 4429 3368 or peter.timmins@shoalhaven.nsw.gov.au.

Thanks
Pete

[Andrew Butcher]

Just received advice from LGNSW as follows:

“our President [LGNSW] has written to Ministers Hancock and Dominello about the problems being experienced and the need for urgent resolution. This includes requesting that the Govt fully fund the quarterly instalment to avoid conclusion and aggravation. We are also raising it at our OLG Liaison meeting this afternoon.”

Hope this helps to resolve some of the issues being experienced by the fire affected councils. LGNSW will give more information as they are able too.

Regards,
Andrew

[Lee Howard]

Just wanted to see how others are going with this we have prepared a spreadsheet showing the 3rd & 4th instalments for affected properties and also a breakup of the totals for the different types of rates ordinary, stormwater etc as requested.

We have been asked to provide them with an invoice for the land portion of the instalments only. Do you think this should just be the full instalment or exclude stormwater etc?

RMS have advised that they will only reimburse the land portion of the rates (general rates) While they are still working with the powers that be to see if the other categories can be paid, this (if approved) will be done separately.

Is this how you see this? Do you think they just don’t understand how instalments are made up?

So if not all the instalment is paid we will have to look at every assessment to determine the ordinary rate portion for receipting the payments. Then ratepayers are going to receive a 4th instalment notice for the balance being made up of stormwater, onsite, waste management etc.

As most ratepayers believe that RMS is paying the full 3rd & 4th instalments this will create problems down the track.

[Andrew Butcher]

Hi Lee

I have been in contact with LGNSW and advised them of these issues and they have written to the Minister asking that the whole quarters be paid in accordance with the press release.

I spoke to Shaun McBride yesterday and he advised me that it appears the Ministers intentions are not being carried out by the respective agencies (Service NSW).

I guess this does not help with the current instalment issues.

As more information comes to light i will update this post. Sorry that i cant provide a solution at this stage.

Regards,
Andrew

[Pete Timmins]

Hi Lee,

I will email you directly with the action we have taken.

Regards
Pete

[Ian Clayton]

Hi All,

Below is an email update we received from Service NSW in relation to payment of rates for people who have lost their home in the bush fires. Also below are their FAQ’s.

We only have a small number in our LGA. We have supplied rates information for effected properties and an invoice for the total amount of rates to Service NSW. Not sure when the payment will be made, but I understand they intend to deposit the amount into Council’s bank account.

Cheers
Ian

The NSW Government has announced six months of council rates relief to ease the financial burden for anyone whose property suffered damage beyond repair in the recent bushfires.

To help local communities recover and rebuild, the NSW Government will pay council rates notices for eligible customers for quarter 3 (Jan – March) and quarter 4 (April – June) this financial year (2019/2020). This includes the land rates component and fixed service charges such as waste, water and sewerage where the amount is included on the council rates notice only.

Once we have all the information we need, Service NSW will transfer funds directly to local councils. After payment has been made to the council, we will advise the customer that they have been deemed eligible to have their Council rates notices paid in full for Q3 and Q4, and that their payment has been processed.

If the customer has paid their Q3 and Q4 rates notice fully in advance, we will advise the customer that an automatic credit will be applied to their account by Council. If the customer has paid their rates notice in full for the financial year and requests a refund, we will direct customers to contact their local council to arrange this.

Customers with questions or disputes about assessment or eligibility, including queries about how to add their property to the register for assessment, need to contact Service NSW on 13 77 88 or visit a service centre with a copy of a recent rates notice.

NSW Government council rates notice relief – Frequently Asked Questions

In early February, the NSW Government announced six months of council rates notice relief to ease the financial burden on home, farm and small business owners whose property suffered damage beyond repair in the recent bushfires.
To help local communities recover and rebuild, the NSW Government will pay council rates notices for eligible customers for quarter 3 (Jan – March) and quarter 4 (April – June) this financial year (2019/2020). This includes the land rates component and fixed service charges such as waste, water and sewerage where the amount is included on the council rates notice only.
Who is eligible?
To be eligible for relief, a ratepayer:
• must own a residence, farm or business in a declared disaster area; and
• have the property deemed damaged beyond repair by the Rural Fire Service (RFS) and/or Emergency Information Coordination Unit (EICU)
If the only structure damaged or destroyed is an outbuilding, the property does not qualify for relief.
How does the ratepayer apply?
No application is necessary. Service NSW will make the payment directly to local councils for properties that have been assessed as eligible for NSW Government rates relief.
How will the ratepayer know if they have qualified for rate relief?
Home, farm and business owners who qualify for relief will receive an email and SMS notification from Service NSW that their rates notices have been paid for Q3 and Q4 of this financial year.
What if a ratepayer has paid their rates notices in advance?
If the ratepayer has already paid their Q3 and Q4 rates notices fully in advance, the amount should be automatically applied as a credit against their account. If the ratepayer would like a refund rather than an automatic credit, they will be advised to speak to their council to arrange this.
What can ratepayers do if their property is not on the register for rates relief?
If a ratepayer has not received a notification of eligibility and believes they should have, direct them to Service NSW on 13 77 88 or a local Service NSW service centre. They will need a copy of their latest rates notice available for reference. Service NSW will liaise with the Office of Emergency Management regarding assessment of the property and contact the customer with an outcome as soon as possible.
Who can ratepayers talk to if they want to dispute the outcome of a property assessment?
Direct ratepayers to Service NSW on 13 77 88 or a local Service NSW service centre. They will need a copy of their latest rates notice available. A Service NSW customer service representative will lodge the dispute and Service NSW will advise the outcome as soon as possible.
What other help is available to impacted ratepayers?
Ratepayers who have been impacted by the bushfires can visit our Service NSW Bushfire Customer Care Service website or call 13 77 88 for information about:
• Support and resources
• Local events and recovery centres
• Replacing lost documents and licences
• Emergency contacts and services
• Assistance with small business recovery, including loans and grants
• NSW bushfire free clean-up registration

[Lee Howard]

Hi all, Just wondering if anyone has received the money from RMS yet for bushfire affected properties?

[Pete Timmins]

Hi Lee,

Not yet, I emailed our contact at ServiceNSW this morning asking for an update and I have had no response as yet.

Regards
Pete

[Pete Timmins]

Good morning all,

As per Lee’s post of 23 March, has anyone received the ServiceNSW payment for the 3rd and 4th instalments?

Thanks
Pete

[Lee Howard]

No still waiting I spoke to them last week & was told they are just waiting on it to be signed off & then they would be paid straight away.

[Author]

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