By Jeremy Cook
The Southern Downs Regional Council has blamed a later than usual budget adoption and software changes for issuing its first rates notices of the financial year in September.
The council’s budget for the 2024/25 financial year was formally adopted on 24 July and included key changes to how rates notices and water consumption charges would be issued to ratepayers including merging both into a single six monthly bill.
This year’s budget was adopted about two weeks later compared to the previous year’s and almost a month later than the 2022/23 budget.
Over the previous five years, rates notices were only issued later than July once in 2020 when they were released in August, according to the council.
A council spokesperson said the delayed budget adoption and the “associated software changes” required to apply the changes to rates and charges “contributed towards the later issue date for the first half year rate notice”.
The spokesperson said the changes were aimed at streamlining the billing process, “making it easier for households [to] manage and pay their rate notice”.
“This new system also lowers the costs associated with issuing and processing notices, allowing [the] council to provide more efficient services in other core business areas,” the spokesperson said.
The spokesperson said the council suffered only a “small reduction” in interest earnings due to issuing rates notices later. However, they added that this was “outweighed by the savings through the reduced costs of processing and managing notices by combining them in a single notice”.
“Despite the delay in receiving rates income, council’s cash flow remains stable,” the spokesperson said.
“Council has sufficient funds to meet all current financial obligations, ensuring that services and operations continue without interruption.”
No capital works projects were stalled due to a lack of funds, the council spokesperson said.
“Council continues to manage its financial resources effectively, ensuring that all planned projects proceed as scheduled,” they said.
