Inverell Shire Council is preparing to 'stop the leak' as requests for reductions in water bills flow forth.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
A little-known process allows council to grant a request to reduce a resident's water bill if they've got an undetected leak or pipe breakage.
Council has noticed the higher-than-normal amount of claims for a reduction in water bills as a result of leaky pipes, with 10 applications in the last 12 months alone.
READ ALSO
As it stands, each application is put to council and determined on a case-by-case basis.
However with the rate of applications coming through, council will vote to adopt a "consistent" check-list to ensure consistency across the board.
A report written by council's revenue coordinator Emma Murphy details the significant increase of applications recently.
"In the past 12 months at least 10 applications have been received, some have been significant leaks, while some applications have had only minor water loss," Ms Murphy states.
She said it may be because of the long dry period followed by a heavy wet season wreaking havoc on the infrastructure.
However she also suggests it may be because real estate agents, the community, and local plumbers "are becoming increasingly aware of the type of assistance Council has offered ratepayers in the past for breaks and leaks."
The suggested criteria council should adopt is that:
- The leak must have been significant and undetectable, greater than 150kl and 1.5 times greater than the average consumption for the same period.
- Application is made on the prescribed form containing all the requested information.
- The application is received within 30 days of the water account being issued.
- The General Manager will have the delegation to write off water account usage up to $1,000, applications above this amount would be a matter for Council.
"Having applications assessed under the proposed policy and criteria will ensure that the determination made under each application will be consistent across the Shire," Ms Murphy said.
Council will vote to adopt the criteria in October's Ordinary Council Meeting.
Our journalists work hard to provide local, up-to-date news to the community. This is how you can access our trusted content:
- Bookmark inverelltimes.com.au
- Make sure you are signed up for our breaking and regular headlines newsletters
- Follow us on Twitter: @inverelltimes
- Follow us on Instagram @inverelltimes
- Follow us on Google News
