Wednesday 19 March 2014
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Power and Water leaves Council in the Dark
While Power and Water have reportedly relented with their local government revenue
raising and delayed the new $575,906 street light repairs and maintenance charge, Council
is still searching for answers regarding the future of the levy.
The City of Palmerston is calling on Power and Water to shine a light on how long Northern
Territory Councils will be immune from this major charge.
City of Palmerston Mayor Ian Abbott said he’s still waiting for Council’s questions to be
answered by the Corporation.
“While the Chief Minister has made a comment in Parliament this week, and Power and
Water has released a statement to some media outlets – no one has been in contact with
Council to let us know what’s going on.
“Experience tells us when this charge is delayed, it eventually comes back to bite us in the
backside at a highly inflated rate, and I’m seeking assurances from Power and Water that
this won’t happen again.
“So we can be confident we won’t be slapped with an even bigger charge, we urge Power
and Water to let us know exactly how they’re calculating this amount,” said Mayor Abbott.
Acting chief executive officer Ben Dornier says when it comes to preparing the City’s
budget, Council is still in the dark about how much should be allocated to Palmerston’s
street lights.
“In order to be fiscally responsible and plan for sustainable asset management, we need to
know what Power and Water’s intentions are when it comes to charging Council for the
maintenance of their infrastructure.
“I anticipate the blow to Territorian wallets will only get worse, with Council receiving
indications the Corporation will be introducing yet another new charge in 2015/16 – this time
under the guise of a ‘capital’ charge – and all signs are pointing to a massive impact on our
overall bottom line,” said Mr Dornier.
At last night’s City of Palmerston council meeting, Mayor Abbott tabled documents received
from Power and Water late last week, outlining the estimated new charges for the City’s
street lighting infrastructure.
The documents are available on Council’s website for public perusal.
Power and Water Corporation have indicated they will be slugging the City of Palmerston
with a new $575,906 annual charge for maintaining Power and Water’s street lights.
The exorbitant new fee means Palmerston’s 11,000 rate payers could be hit with an
additional $52 on their annual rates, amounting to a 5% increase based on current figures.
-- ENDS -Media Contact
Mandy Ward
0419 824 731
[email protected]