Council levies three types of rate charges:
Municipal Charge - provides for some of the Shire's general administrative costs and is payable by all ratepayers. A person may apply for an exemption from a Municipal Charge where the rateable land is farm land and forms part of a single farm enterprise. The charge must be paid on at least one property by each ratepayer.
Waste Management Charge - payable by residents who live in and around the townships of Camperdown, Cobden, Derrinallum, Lismore, Noorat, Port Campbell, Simpson, Skipton, Terang and Timboon and have access to Council's kerbside garbage, greenwaste and recycling service.
Special Charge - occassionally levied on individual landowners when a property gains a specific benefit from works completed by Council. For example, we currently split the cost of new kerb and channel, footpath or drainage schemes between adjoining landowners and Council.
Council does not rate all property the same. We have four levels of rate:
- A general rate that applies to most residential addresses, commercial properties and to vacant land in urban areas
- A farm rate that applies to all commercial farming properties (87% of the general rate)
- A cultural and recreational rate that applies to cultural and recreational land uses, such as horse racing venues
- A vacant industrial land rate that applies to undeveloped land zoned Industrial
Council does not rate land that is owned by the government, land that is used exclusively for public or municipal purposes, land that is owned by a Church or religious body, land used exclusively for mining purposes or land used exclusively for RSL.