ANGRY Queanbeyan ratepayers are planning to file a class action against Queanbeyan City Council over supplementary rates bills issued to some ratepayers this week as Council seeks to reclaim $3.7 million in undercharged sewer, water and waste fees.
The Queanbeyan Age has spoken with two commercial property owners this week who have been slugged with $10,000 bills for water and sewer access backdated five years to 2009, and another who has been charged $7,000.
The supplementary rates bills hit households on Monday, and an accompanying letter from Council explained that a recent audit of its property database had uncovered a litany of errors in charging its 16,800 rateable properties over the last five years. The audit turned up 2,054 properties that will receive refunds for overpayment of rates, while 860 properties have received bills for outstanding accounts.
A Council finance spokesperson apologised for the error this week, but said Council was required to recover the charges under the Local Government Act.
"This database has never been thoroughly audited and has been transferred through several systems over a number of years, including the addition of a number of properties as a result of previous boundary adjustments," the spokesperson said.
"Council apologises for this error and will be undertaking six-monthly audits of the property database from now on."
http://www.queanbeyanage.com.au/story/2439463/ratepayers-threaten-class-action-on-council-rates-clai...
