Rates Remission and Postponement Policies • payment has been late due to significant family disruption. [Significant family If the leak is repaired before the following scheduled reading interval, the remission will disruption would include death, illness, or accident of a family member]; or be equivalent to the assessed volume of water that has been lost through the leak, since the scheduled reading interval prior to the leak being discovered; or • the ratepayer is able to provide evidence that their payment has gone astray in the post, or the late payment has otherwise resulted from matters outside their If the leak is not repaired before the following scheduled reading interval, the remission control; or calculation will be assessed on the next scheduled reading interval; or • penalties have arisen through processing errors in Council’s records or an outstanding balance has arisen as a result of a shortfall caused by the Where there are extenuating circumstances, Council or its delegated officer[s] may operation of an agreed payment plan; or extend the period for a re-assessment of the water rate. • the ratepayer provides a reasonable explanation of the circumstances which A property displaying ongoing leakage showing likely system failure of the pipe caused the late payment, and this is the first occasion on which late payment network within the property will be provided with no more than three remissions for has occurred. water loss. Application The maximum remission for any one water loss will be $3,000 unless there are The extent of any remission will be determined by the Council or its delegated extenuating circumstances verified by the Operations and Maintenance Engineer. officer[s]. Council or its delegated officer[s] shall determine whether the criteria are met. Water Losses Objective of the Policy Extreme Financial Hardship To provide ratepayers with a measure of relief, by way of partial rates remission where, Objective of the Policy as a result of the existence of a water leak on the property which they occupy, the To enable Council to grant remission, for cases of extreme financial hardship, on a payment of full water rates is inequitable. case by case basis, of all or part of the rates. Conditions and Criteria Conditions and Criteria This Remission Policy does not apply to Council’s irrigation water supplies (Southern Council may remit rates in accordance with the policy where the application meets all Valleys’ Irrigation Scheme and Riverlands Irrigation Scheme). There will be no refunds of the following criteria: for water losses for irrigation supplies. • The ratepayer(s) must be the current occupier(s) of the rating unit which must The existence of a significant leak on the occupied property has been established and be solely used for their personal residential purposes. there is evidence that steps have been taken to repair the leak as soon as possible after its detection. • The Council must be satisfied that extreme financial hardship exists or would be caused by requiring payment of the whole or part of the rates. Application • The ratepayer[s] must provide any evidence that Council deems appropriate to Council will calculate the volume of water lost based on average water consumptions support the claim of extreme financial hardship. during similar periods of previous years. • The ratepayer[s] must make acceptable arrangements for payment of future rates, for example by setting up a system for regular payments. When an application for water rates remission is approved pursuant to this policy, the amount of the remission will depend on when the leak is repaired. Applications received during a rating year will be applicable from the commencement of the following rating year. All applications must be on the prescribed form and will not be backdated. 2018-2028 Long Term Plan Page 323