Many residents left last week’s council meeting with a lot of questions about their water rates.
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Mount Isa City Council says it will not hold a public forum to answer the community’s questions and concerns about its new water charging system.
The North West Star collected your questions and sent them to council on Thursday morning.
Read the responses from Mount Isa City Council below.
Why have the new charges not been worked out so they cost the same as they do now? Not a reduction in usage will cost the same, but same allocated usage for same cost?
It’s a different system, therefore a different pricing structure. This new system will now see the majority of households save money on their overall rates.
Why did the public not get asked?
The decision was necessary following a recent legal decision, and was supported by several years of feedback from water consumers who have requested a user pays system. When considering this change, Council assessed water consumer data and determined that the majority of households would be better off financially under this new charging method. This means that the majority will no longer subsidise heavy water users.
Why do I pay more for a 25mm main when I didn't request the upgrade? I will already be charged for the water that comes through. Will council replace with a 20mm if requested?
Different size meters operate on different infrastructure. Yes, you may request a different meter size. Customers will need to contact council to discuss options for their individual property.
Please give some examples of before/after water rates.
We cannot give details of customer bills.
Customers are encouraged to call council and find out their current water usage, and simple calculations can be done. All customers will soon receive a letter giving them recent consumption data so that simple calculations can be done.
Where are the figures from the other “towns” or even copies of those “water prices/bills” that you have compared us to?
Council published figures on their Facebook page on July 13 (see photo).
Is it feasible to have bores sunk around town to keep our sporting fields and parks green year around?
Yes, many of our parks and sporting grounds do have bores and there are often funding opportunities available. Please contact our Community Development Officer on 4747 3200 to discuss.
Why do we have to pay so much more with the new system?
Based on historical consumption, the majority of households will pay less.
How will the new charges affect the community Clubs the the Football fields and lawn bowls greens?
We are pleased to report that most of these groups will benefit from the new remissions policy that will include a 75 per cent concession, resulting in an overall saving for these groups.
How does this sit within the Living with Lead guidelines?
The majority of households in Mount Isa use around 490kl per year which will now save them money under the new system, and allow them to keep following the Lead Alliance guidelines using the same amount of water they have always been using.
Really interested in finding out the additional charges due to pipe diameter. I have looked at all the comparison councils you have listed but they only have 1 access charge, not a selection due to pipe size. I am trying to understand the excess charges when the pipe is larger than 20mm.
Due to differing sized meters, variable maintenance schedules and infrastructure requirements for different meter sizes. Council have used this scale which is used at other Councils.Customers will need to contact Council to discuss options for their individual property.
Can we have rainwater tanks in town or not?
The use of rain water tanks for drinking purposes in Mount Isa is not permitted by the Department of Environment and Heritage Protection.
Rain water tanks if used must be first flush systems. A first flush device is one that takes the first water from your roof and diverts it from your tank.
It is important to flush the roof and divert water from your tank, because over time your roof gets lead dust, dirt and debris from the environment. The rainwater effectively washes your roof. If you do not use a first flush device, the first of the rainwater which will carry most of the dirt and dust straight to your tank.
What ongoing legal battle?
Click on the link to read our story about the Supreme Court decision.
