Rates notice to now include water and sewer charges

Published on 28 July 2023

MidCoast Council ratepayers will notice an increase in the total of their rate notices with their annual water and sewer charges now included on their annual rate notice.

The new billing arrangement came into effect on 1 July 2023 and is part of Council’s commitment to improving efficiencies in the way they do business.

Director of Corporate Services, Steve Embry, said the new arrangement would deliver a number of benefits for both Council and customers.

“From a business perspective, this is going to make our rates and charges system more efficient and cut out unnecessary double handling,” said Mr Embry.

“It also means customers applying for pensioner rebates will only have to apply once, rather than having to apply once for their rate notice and again for their water and sewer account.

“Another benefit for customers is that while they’ll continue to receive a quarterly water account, it will only contain their water usage charges, making it easier for them to monitor and manage the amount of water they’re using. This should help people use water more efficiently, which is something we should all be aiming to do.”

While Mr Embry said there were some obvious benefits associated with the change, he acknowledged it was still a big transition that might require people to make some adjustments.

This is particularly true for customers with existing payment arrangements in place.

Letters have been mailed to customers who pay their accounts via Centrepay or Direct Debit, instructing them on the steps they’ll need to take to adjust their payment arrangements.

Customers who pay their rate notice and water and sewer account via BPAY will also need to adjust their payment arrangements to allow for the new amounts that will now be deducted.

Mr Embry said the change could also put pressure on some customers in the short-term, but Council was committed to supporting people through the transition and would provide flexibility.

“It’s important to understand that the new arrangement won’t change the amount customers pay for their services, just the accounts they appear on,” he said.

“At the same time, we understand that any change can require a period of adjustment and take some getting used to.

“Our main message to customers is that we’re here to help, so get in contact if you have any questions or require any assistance.”

Customers can call Council’s customer service team on 02 7955 7777 at any time between 8:30am and 4:30pm Monday to Friday.