Your Rates

Land Rates

The full amount of your annual land rates is due for payment on 31 August of each year. However, you may pay this yearly amount by quarterly instalments as shown on your rates notice.

Ratepayers who choose to pay by quarterly instalments are advised that instalments are due as follows:

• 1st Quarter Instalment - 31 August
• 2nd Quarter Instalment - 30 November
• 3rd Quarter Instalment - 28 February
• 4th Quarter Instalment - 31 May

Water Rates

The Water Usage accounts due dates are:

• 1st Quarter due - 31 July
• 2nd Quarter due - 31 October
• 3rd Quarter due - 31 January
• 4th Quarter due - 30 April

If you require a copy of your Rates Notices, Instalment Notices and Water Usage accounts please email all requests to council@bellingen.nsw.gov.au. Be sure to include your full name, assessment number and address of your property. Fees may apply.

All properties within Bellingen Local Government area receive a revaluation at a frequency determined by the NSW Office of the Valuer General – this is generally every 3 years.

Whenever a revaluation occurs, the rating distribution within the Council changes, and significant increases generally tend to cause some community concern about the impact on rates.

The level of ordinary rates are “pegged” which means the total Ordinary Rate revenue for Council can only increase by the approved rate pegging as set by the Independent Pricing and Regulatory Tribunal (IPART).

Although Council’s income is restricted by rate pegging, individual ratepayers will receive varying increases or decreases in their rates, dependent upon how their property has been affected by the revaluation.

Ratepayers, upon receipt of land re-valuations, may lodge an objection with the Valuer General for a review of the valuation. If you lodge an objection to the land value recorded on your Notice of Valuation you must still pay your rates while your objection is being considered.

If your land value is amended, the Valuer General will notify Council and your rates will be adjusted if necessary.

In accordance with the provisions of the NSW Local Government Act 1993, Council must declare each parcel of rateable land within the Council area to be within one of the following categories:

• Residential
• Business
• Farmland
• Mining

Council has further sub-categorised the Residential and Business categories as follows:

• Residential-Rural Business
• Residential-Bellingen Business-Bellingen
• Residential-Dorrigo Business-Dorrigo
• Residential-Mylestom Business-Urunga
• Residential-Urunga
• Residential Business-Industrial
• Business
• Business - Bellingen
• Business - Dorrigo
• Business - Urunga
• Business - Industrial

Ratepayers must notify Council in writing within thirty (30) days when a land category changes from one category to another.

If you are dissatisfied with Council’s Declaration of the category of your land after it has been reviewed, or the date that the category of land is to take effect, you may appeal to the Land and Environment Court within thirty (30) days after the Declaration is made.

All residents and businesses receiving a kerbside waste collection pay the Domestic Waste Management Charge.

This charge entitles residents to a three-bin system which includes mixed rubbish (red), recycling (yellow) and organic (green) bins.

Residents that pay the Domestic Waste Management Charge are also eligible for one scheduled kerbside bulky goods collection and may request one bulky house waste collection each calendar year.

Each voucher allows residents to self-haul up to 300kg or three cubic metres of bulky household waste to the Raleigh Waste Management Centre at 146 Short Cut Road, Raleigh.

Residents that reside outside of Council's kerbside collection areas pay the Waste Facility Access Charge.

This allows residents to dispose of domestic household waste at any of Council's three waste facilities free of charge.

Domestic properties paying the Waste Facility Access Charge are also eligible for one bulky household waste voucher each calendar year.

This voucher allows residents to self-haul up to 300kg or three cubic metres of bulky household waste to the Raleigh Waste Management Centre at 146 Short Cut Road, Raleigh.

For any questions regarding your waste service please call the Coffs Coast Waste Services hotline on 1800 265 495.

Waste facility fees and charges apply to some waste disposal such as landfill, tyres, green waste, dead animals and asbestos. Other fees and minimum charges may also apply. The NSW Section 88 Landfill Levy applies to any waste to landfill.

For a full list please refer to Council's schedule of fees and charges.

The water access charge is designed to cover some of the costs incurred by Council for providing infrastructure such as reservoirs, pump stations and reticulation systems. Because of the fixed nature of the costs incurred by Council in operating the infrastructure, the access charge applies to all properties able to connect to the system regardless of whether connected or unconnected.

* Unconnected access charge applies to vacant properties within 225 metres of the water main.

Water Usage Charges

In accordance with Best Practice Pricing Guidelines, Council has implemented an Inclining Block Tariff (IBT) for water consumption charges. The IBT is applicable for residential consumers only and as a minimum, all consumption above 365kL per year will be charged at one and a half times the standard rate. The standard rate is $2.50, so any residential consumer who uses more than 1kL per day in any billing period will be charged at one and a half times the normal rate ($3.75) for all consumption in excess of the daily rate.

Home Dialysis & Home Care Medical Patients

Subject to certification by a medical practitioner, in the case of registered patients using home dialysis machines or other medical treatments, Council provides an allowance for excess water consumption as a result of treatment. Further information may be obtained by phoning the water billing department on 02 6655 7397.

Sewerage access charges are designed to cover most of the costs incurred by Council in sustainably managing assets such as pump stations, reticulation systems, treatment facilities and disposal and beneficial reuse systems. The charging methods are based on whether the property is classed as residential or non-residential.

Residential Sewerage Access Charge

This is based on a flat charge for all residential properties connected to Council's sewerage network. All residential properties including strata and non-strata units receive a flat sewerage services charge of $1,104.00 per separate occupancy. All residential properties that are able to connect to the sewerage network but remain unconnected receive a flat sewerage services charge of $1,000.00. Unconnected sewer charges relate to vacant land within 75m of the sewer main.

Commercial Sewerage Access Charge

Sewerage Access Charges for Non-Residential properties will be based on the capacity requirements that their loads place on the system as per the following table:

Commercial Sewer Usage Charges

The non-residential sewerage usage charge is calculated by multiplying total water consumption (from the water meter reading) by the sewerage discharge factor by $1.45 per kilolitre.

Further information on water and sewerage pricing can be obtained by contacting Council’s Manager Water and Sewer on 02 6655 7300.

Liquid Trade Waste Charge

Non-residential liquid trade waste fees and charges are designed to recover the costs for transporting and treating liquid trade waste discharged to Council’s sewerage systems by industrial, commercial or other non-residential customers.

Liquid trade wastes can exert a greater demand on sewerage systems than domestic sewerage and if uncontrolled, can pose significant problems to public health, worker safety, the sewerage system and the environment.

Non-residential liquid trade waste discharges are divided into various categories dependent upon the burden placed on Council infrastructure in transport, treatment and appropriate management and charging purposes:

Additional information for liquid trade waste and the various discharge categories can be obtained by contacting Council on 02 6655 7300.