RATEPAYERS may find themselves on the hook for a reprint of rates notices after a printing bungle.
Frankston Council sent out a second corrected set of 2018-19 rates notices this month after the first rates notices were issued with incorrect addresses and assessment reference numbers on the back of the notices.
Council blamed a contractor for the mistake (“Second time ‘lucky’ for rates notices”, The Times 13/8/19) but there is no agreement yet on who should pick up the costly tab for the printing and delivery of the second batch of corrected rates notices.
Frankston mayor Cr Colin Hampton said council “expects” the contracted printer to pay the bill.
“Council has made its position very clear to the printer that it expects that it will not be financially responsible for the reprint of the notices based on the admission by the printer they had made an error,” Cr Hampton said in a statement.
The bungle comes as some ratepayers complain about individual rates payable rising more than the 2.25 per cent state government mandated rate rise cap.
The rate cap, dubbed “A Fair Go” rates system by the Labor state government, applies to the total rates revenue council is able to collect and not individual cases.
Frankston municipality properties were revalued last year by an independent contractor.
Council could not confirm how much the second batch of rates notices cost to print.
