Hundreds of Oamaru ratepayers have been incorrectly charged a new transport rate. Photo:
Otago Regional Council has apologised to almost 15,000 ratepayers after it identified two errors in recent rates invoices.
The first affects 972 people in Oamaru where a new transport rate was incorrectly applied and people received a $5.45 fixed charge.
The 972 people in Oamaru incorrectly charged the transport rate were advised by letter in October that their rates were being credited and they could either reduce the payment amount to ORC if they had not yet paid their rates, claim a refund or use as a credit toward next year's rates.
"Those ratepayers were offered the option to retain the credit to use next year or contact ORC if they would prefer a refund," chief executive Richard Saunders said.
The second error affected people in wider Dunedin, who were undercharged their indirect Leith flood protection rate.
"We're very conscious of the financial demands being placed on ratepayers around the country at present, and I can only highlight that the majority of the undercharging for indirect Leith flood protection rate averages between $15 to less than $20 per property." he said.
There would be no penalty rates applied to the undercharging for the Leith indirect flood rate, and ratepayers would have until 30 June 2025 to pay.
The Leith indirect rate had always been charged to some properties in Dunedin and was extended in the current rating year to apply to all properties in the Dunedin district, but excluded ratepayers already being charged within the existing Leith direct targeted rate area.
The undercharging amounted to $219,972 rates having to be reinvoiced.
About 86 percent of those 13,789 ratepayers affected will be invoiced for less than $20 and 99 percent will be invoiced for less than $100.
There were 21 properties worth more than $15 million, of which five would need to pay more than $1000, the council said.
The estimated cost of reinvoicing for the rates was less than $20,000.
"We're sincerely sorry for the inconvenience caused to ratepayers and will be amending processes in the future to ensure there's no repeat." Saunders said.
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