The auction gave Queanbeyan Palerang Regional Council’s coffers a welcome boost. Photo: Kazuri Photography.
Queanbeyan Palerang Regional Council has recovered $1.57 million in rates owing from dozens of properties across the shire.
In January, the council published a list of 38 properties whose owners had not paid rates for more than five years and moved to forced sales to recoup the rates.
The debts ranged from almost $7000 to $160,000, and the properties included 26 vacant blocks of land, six houses, three units, two other structures and one business.
But some owners came forward to settle debts and by the auction date of 2 May, 24 went under the hammer.
A council spokesperson said the auction attracted 87 registered bidders and all 24 properties were sold.
Most properties recovered the rates outstanding, but council will be asked to write off about $28,000 – $30,000 in rates, where some properties were sold for less than the amounts owing.
A full report will be provided to council at the 28 May council meeting.
The council made repeated attempts to contact overdue ratepayers to arrange payment, but many were unknown, and some could be deceased or living overseas.
Any proceeds left over after rates are paid will be held in trust and transferred to the owner or their estate if they come forward.
The forced sales are the first since the merger in 2016, but it won’t be another nine years before the next forced sale, with another expected next year or the one after.
General manager Rebecca Ryan had described the forced sales as housekeeping after years in which staff disruption, a rates freeze and COVID preoccupied the council’s time.
“It’s a matter that we should be doing, all councils, as a regular process, not letting their [overdue] rates get out to more than five years,” Ms Ryan said.
The sale proceeds will be a welcome boost to the council ‘s dwindling coffers and parlous financial position.
In July 2023, the council raised rates 18 per cent a year for three years after recording a deficit of $1.14 million in 2022-23, and an independent report found that without intervention, the average operating deficit over 10 years would be $20.6 million a year.
Ian McNamee and Partners conducted the auction.
