Loddon Shire Mayoral Column 10 June 2019
Published on 10 June 2019
What is the Fire Services Property Levy?
Come late July, property owners will be receiving their 2019/20 annual rates notice from Council. When you look at the breakdown of charges on your notice, you will see an item for the Fire Services Property Levy (FSPL).
As mentioned in this column’s Did You Know on 29 April 2019, the FSPL is collected by councils on behalf of the State Government. The rate of the levy is determined yearly by the State Revenue Office with funds collected by Council forwarded to the State Revenue Office.
The FSPL was introduced by the State Government on 1 July 2013. Previously, the levy was paid through insurance premiums. All funds collected goes to supporting Victoria’s fire services.
The FSPL is made up of two parts – a fixed charge and a variable charge. The FSPL fixed charge for 2019/20 has been set at $111 for residential properties and $226 for non-residential properties. The variable charge is based on a property’s capital improved value (CIV).
There is a concession on the FSPL for eligible pensioners and veterans. Farmers with multiple properties that operate as a single enterprise can also lodge an exemption to pay a single fixed charge.
More information regarding the FSPL is available from Council’s website www.loddon.vic.gov.au/Live/Your-home/Your-property-valuation-and-rates/Fire-Services-Property-Levy
If you have any further questions regarding the FSPL or your annual rates notice, please call Council’s Revenue Coordinator on 5494 1200.
Have you completed the Active Living Census?
If you haven’t had a chance to complete the Active Living Census, you still have until 16 June to fill out the census online at www.srcentre.com.au/ALC
The census aims to seek local and regional data on the community’s health behaviours, activity levels, preferences and needs. The findings will be used to produce an overarching report for the Loddon Campaspe Region and individual reports that are unique to each of the six local government areas (including Loddon Shire).
The census will only take a few minutes out of your day to complete and there’s the chance to win some great prizes too.
GMW consultation
Goulburn-Murray Water (GMW) is carrying out consultation with its customers and the community around a range of projects and topics, including its services and prices for the next four years.
This consultation includes hosting a series of drop-in sessions across the GMW region. Topics at the sessions will revolve around pricing and tariffs, Customer Hardship Policy, Customer Communications and Engagement and Service Standards.
Drop in sessions in our region will be held on Tuesday 11 June from 10am to 2pm at the GMW Kerang Office, 78 Kerang Koondrook Road and at Bridgewater on Wednesday 19 June from 10am to 2pm. Please note, at the time of writing, the location of the Bridgewater drop-in session was yet to be determined.
There are also a number of workshops being held across the GMW region on varying topics.
For more information and further details on drop-in sessions as well as workshops, please visit www.g-mwater.com.au/your-say-at-gmw
GMW also encourages customers to participate in consultation online by filling in a quick survey at its new customer engagement webpage – yoursay.gmwater.com.au
What is drumMUSTER?
drumMUSTER is a national program providing an easy and environmentally-friendly way to dispose of empty, clean farming and veterinary chemical containers.
According to the Loddon Mallee Waste and Resource Recovery Group, the Loddon Mallee region has collected more than two million containers through the drumMUSTER program since it started in 1999.
In our Shire, you can drop off drumMUSTER containers at all of Council's landfills and transfer stations.
To help staff in accepting these containers please remember to arrive as soon as possible after the landfill/transfer station opens as all containers need to be inspected.
Containers must be flushed, pressure rinsed or triple rinsed prior to delivery to a drumMUSTER site. There must be no visible chemical residue on the inside or outside of the container – if there is, the container will not be accepted.
To find out more about drumMUSTER visit www.drummuster.org.au/
For Council’s landfill and transfer station operating hours, please visit www.loddon.vic.gov.au/Live/Your-home/Garbage-and-recycling and click on “Landfill and transfer station timetable”.
Did you know?
Of the more than two million containers collected in the Loddon Mallee through the DrumMUSTER program since it started, 295,636 of these containers have been collected in Loddon Shire.