Your rates
Fees and charges
2023 to 2024 rates
Understanding your rates 2023 to 2024
Help with your rates We understand paying your rates can sometimes be difficult. If you’re experiencing financial hardship, we might be able to: • offer smaller regular payments • extend the time for payment • write off accrued interest • defer payment of large rate assessments for aged pensioners against the property estate. Call us for a confidential discussion about your situation and find out how we can help.
Rates assistance program We’ve partnered with local financial counselling services to give our ratepayers experiencing financial hardship access to limited rates financial assistance. Assistance of up to $500 may be available to individuals or families or $250 to those who already receive a Council pensioner rate concession. Contact one of the following services for assistance: Port Stephens Family and Neighbourhood Services Phone: 4987 1331 Monday to Thursday Address: 3 Jacaranda Avenue, Raymond Terrace Website: psfans.org.au Samaritans Foundation Phone: Address: Website:
Beth Hanna on 4922 1531 or Graham Smith on 4922 1509 32-34 Brunker Rd, Broadmeadow samaritans.org.au
Tomaree Neighbourhood Centre Phone: 4984 6220 Address: Tomaree Library and Community Centre, 7 Community Close, Salamander Bay Email: info@tomareenc.org.au Website: tomareenc.org.au
Pensioner concessions An annual rate rebate of up to $250 is available for eligible pensioners – usually those who hold a pensioner concession card. You can apply for a concession at pscouncil.info/rates-pensioner-concession or over the phone.
Hardship resulting from revaluation If you’ve received a large increase in your rates as a direct result of the general land revaluation and you are experiencing financial hardship, you might be able to apply for Section 601 hardship rate relief for up to $200. Call us to find out if you’re eligible.
What happens if you don’t pay your rates? We send a quarterly instalment notice a month before each payment is due. If you fail to pay your rates, we’ll send a reminder notice and charge 9% p.a. interest daily on all overdue amounts. Please contact us if you need to make a repayment arrangement. Otherwise, we might refer overdue amounts to our debt collection agency, and legal costs could be incured.
pscouncil.info/financial-hardship 02 4988 0255 council@portstephens.nsw.gov.au
Base amount
Rate (c in $)
Category
Sub-category
Residential
Williamtown Primary Zone
$294
0.1136
Residential
Williamtown Secondary Zone
$331
0.1278
Residential
Williamtown Broader Zone
$397
0.1534
Residential
Residential
$441
0.1704
Farmland
Williamtown Primary Zone
$294
0.1136
Farmland
Williamtown Secondary Zone
$331
Farmland
Williamtown Broader Zone
Farmland
Credit Card/PayPal fee
up to 1% (no fee for BPAY
Direct debit/Cheque dishonour
$30 (GST exempt)
Property enquiry fee
$18.60 (GST exempt)
Refund fee
$28.50 (GST exempt)
credit card payments)
Waste charges Charge
2022 to 2023 2023 to 2024
Waste management
$110
$115
0.1278
Waste service
$500
$520
$397
0.1534
Additional waste service (red lid bin)
$268
$268
Farmland
$441
0.1704
$165
$178
Business
n/a
$1,891
0.4659
Additional recycling service (yellow lid bin)
Mining
n/a
n/a
0.4659
n/a
0.01046
Catchment Contribution
How your rates are calculated Rates income increased 9.5% this year. Your land category appears on your rate notice. The appropriate rate is applied to your 1 July 2022 base date land value. We’ve made sub-categories for residential and farmland properties in the Williamtown Management Area for 2023 to 2024.
Get your rates by email It’s easy to register to receive your rates by email and access copies of your rate notices online at portstephens.enotices.com.au You’ll need the eNotices Reference Number from your rate notice.
Paying rates Put your rates on auto-pilot with a direct debit from your savings account. Arrange this online at pscouncil.info/direct-debit-request and we’ll send you a reminder before each instalment. If you want to pay using a credit card, you can use BPAY with no credit card fee.
Hunter Catchment Contribution All properties in a defined area in the west of Port Stephens (generally south and west of Salt Ash) are levied a catchment contribution on behalf of Hunter Local Land Services. This contributes to Waterwatch programs, swamp and wetland rehabilitation, programs to reduce sedimentation and erosion, addressing loss of vegetation and flood mitigation works. To find out more, visit hunter.lls.nsw.gov.au or call 1300 795 299.
Additional organic waste service n/a (green lid bin)
$178
On-site sewage management
$140
$140
Waste management charge Applies to all rateable properties and contributes towards: • management of waste transfer stations • rehabilitation and environmental monitoring of old landfill sites.
Waste service charge Applies to all developed residential properties, whether occupied or unoccupied. It entitles the ratepayer to: • weekly collection of waste (240 litre wheelie bin) • fortnightly collection of recycling (240 litre or 360 litre wheelie bin) • fortnightly collection of garden organics (240 litre wheelie bin) • 2 annual on-call bulk waste kerbside collections per financial year
Commercial waste charge A non domestic waste service charge is applied to developed commercial and business properties, whether occupied or unoccupied. It entitles the ratepayer to: • weekly collection of waste (240 litre wheelie bin) • fortnightly collection of recycling (240 litre or 360 litre wheelie bin) • fortnightly collection of garden organics (240 litre wheelie bin) Additional waste and/or recycling services are available on request for an additional fee. 240 litre recycling bins can be upgraded to 360 litre upon application and payment of a one-off fee of $27.50 and the annual charge remains the same as a 240 litre bin.
portstephens.nsw.gov.au/services/rates-and-payments