St John's Rates battle gets political

Source: Wangaratta Chronicle - 31 Dec 08

Minister says council can waive fees on retirement residents

Written by PHILIP NOLAN.

THE battle over the city council’s move to impose annual rates on residents at St John’s Village has reached State Government level.

And the Minister for Local Government, Richard Wynne, has backed away from the council stance that it has no option but to impose the rate under the existing legislation.

Mr Wynne, responding to representations by Ken Jasper (MLA, Murray Valley), has said council does have the discretion to waive or defer rates for "individuals or by class of ratepayers on the basis of financial hardship".

"I would suggest St John’s Retirement Village continue to discuss these rating issued with the council. The village may also wish to consider a challenge to any decision by the council rate the units through the judicial system," he said.

Mr Wynne said he understood council had received legal advice which had recommended that the residential units be rated, and that a recommendation to this effect would be put to new councillors in the near future.

Commenting on the minister’s response, Mr Jasper said it raised sufficient issues to support his own personal view that the rates should not be imposed on the 216 "independent living" units at the village.

"I have letters of concern from virtually every resident at the village, I have met with the chief executive officer and a representative of the residents, I have discussed the issue with the council’s chief executive officer and I have now raised it with the minister.

"The residents have never been charged rates in the past, and I don’t see why the council would want to change that now.

"St John’s Village has been a wonderful success story for Wangaratta. It has injected a lot of money into this community and has won acclaim right around the state.

"The council has said that it’s legal advice is that it has no choice under the Local Government Act but to impose the rate, but that does not come through in the minister’s letter to me.

"One thing that needs to be borne in mind in this discussion is that these residents do not actually own the land or buildings. It is actually a leasehold arrangement, and the current arrangement has been in place since the village was first opened way back in 1968."

St John’s Village chief executive officer, Joe Caruso, also stressed the point that the residents are only leaseholders, not owners, of their properties.

He said he hoped the new, and old, councillors, would make themselves fully aware of the whole situation before voting on any recommendation from council officers.

"I have had a visit from one of the new councillors wanting to find out more detail, and that was very encouraging," he said.

"We are happy to sit down and talk with any councillor, or council officer, to find the right solution.

"However, it is fair to say we have some very concerned elderly people, many of whom are pensioners, out here at the moment."