Council debt falls to $19.66 million, but rates arrears $2.8m

Rural City of Wangaratta Council's debt fell to about $19.66 million at 30 June, down from $22.388 million a year earlier, while a rates debt of about $2.7 million to $2.8 million is owed to council. Member of the public gallery at the October meeting, Richard Carson, asked what the council's debt position was at 30 June and roughly what proportion of rates ratepayers were behind on. Director corporate and leisure Sarah Brindley first offered to take the question on notice, then returned to it at the end of the meeting. She said the $19.66 million total, a fall of about $2.7 million, included about $3.3 million due this financial year, $12.2 million due over the next five years, and $4 million beyond that. On rates, Ms Brindley said: "We currently have about $2.7 to $2.8 million in rates in arrears, so that's not a small number". She said council raised $34.7 million in general rates in a year, and arrears built up over multiple years. "It's not a one-year figure, it can go up and down over time," she said. She said cost-of-living pressures were a factor, along with the introduction of the Emergency Services and Volunteers Fund and legislative changes requiring councils to make thorough efforts at debt collection before taking more serious steps. Ms Brindley said sale of land was the worst-case option, "which no one wants to have to do". She urged anyone struggling to contact council. "The most important thing is for anyone experiencing financial hardship or struggling with their rates to contact our rates team and discuss a rates payment plan and other steps that we can take to assist them with that," Ms Brindley said.

Council debt falls to $19.66 million, but rates arrears $2.8m

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