[David Grima]

Hi KB,
We are in the process of doing the same thing.
Personally I think it is a waste of time doing anything until guidelines have been issued to affected Councils by either the State Govt, IPART of OLG.
Not sure about you but the rating structures of our former Councils are entirely different:-
1) our minimums are approx $250.00 different
2) former Rockdale has special levies from previous SRV
3) former Botany has eight (8) subcategories of the Ordinary Business Rate (one of which is illegal because it is based on rateable value that has not been documented anywhere)
4) both former Councils have Local Area rates
This ain’t gonna be a fun exercise for Anna & I or the ratepayers.
Happy to meet up and discuss …. maybe over a kebab 🙂
Dave

[David Grima]

Cause I am lazy Tracey …. I just quoted their letter rather than checking the Act …. it was almost 11pm though and I was running out of cookies and milk too (so I was a little distressed).

[David Grima]

Emma,
How did Andrew’s comments help you? 🙂
David

[David Grima]

Is there a WORD version available?

[David Grima]

Hi David,
What did you end up doing with this one?
David

[David Grima]

Morning all,
Is there any legislative requirement to site the PCC? We have always done so here at RCC and now Bayside.
Our Customer Service team have turned away a couple who brought in letters and now one has gone to the Local Member and I need to prepare a reply.
Baldy

[David Grima]

Hi Suzy,
I am getting the same stupid questions and suggestions as you so I am assuming you are being audited by the Audit Office?
After 10 exhaustive days of stupid questions, dumb looks, training and interrogation I still don’t have a certificate from the auditors.
The latest direction from the auditors is that before giving me a certificate for the amount that I am claiming, I must do a report to Council advising that we have written off the rebates detailed in the pension claim.
My director sat me down in his office and made me promise to be nice but f*ck it is proving difficult to bite my tongue.
Baldy

[David Grima]

So is Mr Grima.

[David Grima]

Ok mate – I will send Kevin an email asking him to clarify. I will be as nice as I can.

[David Grima]

Hi there,
We at Rockdale (and at Bayside from 1st July) charge $10 per year up to a maximum charge of $100.
We also do not charge for the current or previous year.
With regards to charging to update your records – I know it has been discussed before but I could not justify charging a ratepayer a fee of any sort to update our records so that we can send them a rate notice.
How will you justify that?
If I were a ratepayer I would be pretty p’d off if that happened to me.
Dave

[David Grima]

Hi Rob,
I have a question and I could be off the track so feel free to put me in my place if I am.
All along Treasury have pushed the line that collecting via rates is a fairer way of collecting the levy AND that in the long run those currently paying the levy through their insurance will be about $47 better off per annum.
I have done a quick calc based on my own property and I find that my levy is in fact increasing on what I paid for the 2016/2017 levy.
Has anyone else done the same to confirm?
If I am a one off then fine. But if I am not, how are we now to explain to the same ratepayers who we have previously been told that they will be better off that in fact they are not.
Dave

[David Grima]

We didn’t put a literal on it – people don;t seems to be reading the letter so ain’t gonna read no literal on the notice.
We have our calls going to a call centre – taken about 15 calls to date so I think it was a bloody good investment.
How is everyone else doing?

[David Grima]

Not sure if it is common practise but Australia Post do not actually own any of the properties that they occupy in Rockdale so I have made all either commercial (the post office) or industrial (the exchange).

[David Grima]

Hi Ken,
I don’t know why more than one electronic method is offered by Councils. Giving ratepayers a choice only affects take up of the different options available.
We only offer MyPOST and whilst numbers are not fantastic it is increasing each time we issue notices.
When considering electronic delivery there were things I did not like about all the options available (MyPOST included) but the one thing MyPOST had that BPAYVIEW and the others could not offer was full integration with Pathway.
I have chosen not to fully integrate at this point but there is little or no staff time required in maintaining the system.
Dave

[David Grima]

Bugger I read it like Ken.
The only child care services that might qualify are the Council run centres.
Dave

[Author]

Posts