The first rate payment notice for 2023/24 has now been sent to property owners by Southern Grampians Shire Council.
As a result of council’s change to a new finance system, there were unforeseen issues during the rate notice production process, which has resulted in some anomalies on some rate notices.
These may include incorrect reference numbers for ‘BPay’ or ‘Australia Post BillBay’.
The BPay reference number should have seven digits (not eight), so customers simply need to remove the last, unrequired digit.
Customers should also use the reference number under the bar code to make an Australia Post Billpay payment in person as the reference number next to the Billpay icon was incorrect.
CEO Tony Doyle said for the first time in many years, council was implementing a new finance system to streamline the way council does business across the entire organisation.
“However, as with any major administrative changes, errors can occur as new systems are being rolled out,” said Mr Doyle. “We acknowledge the impact this has made on ratepayers and apologise for any inconvenience or stress this issue has caused.”
Furthermore, some ratepayers may have received their rate notice by email when they normally receive it by post. If you do not wish to receive your rate notice by email, please advise customer service.
“Our customer service and rates teams have been diligently working with property owners to rectify any anomalies on a case-by-case basis,” said Mr Doyle.
Due to the high rate of enquiries during this time, customers are encouraged to email council in the first instance on council@sthgrampians.vic.gov.au. If this is not possible, please call 5573 0444 and the team will attend to your call as soon as possible.