McKinlay Shire Council issued a public notice on January 16, to postpone the second rates levy until Friday March 29.

With dry conditions continuing, mayor Belinda Murphy said council wanted to withhold rates as late as possible, to allow residents breathing space.

“Hopefully by March or April we will have seen some rain and some confidence coming back into the region and that will allow people the best opportunity to pay their rates in the arranged period,” Cr Murphy said.

“Postponing the rates gives locals the opportunity to have a bit of breathing space, as it is still very quiet at the moment and gives businesses relief both within town and for landholders.”

Cr Murphy said if council didn’t withhold the rates notice, it would have put financial strain on the community.

“We are just hoping that give people an extra 4-6 weeks more then what they would normally have.

“I know people are aware that their rates are always due at this time of year but we are very mindful of our current conditions.

“We didn’t get any storms before Christmas which is now becoming concerning about the lack of wet season that’s arrived.

“Typically January can be very dry but we are hoping the rain will come in March- April. Until then this opportunity will hopefully give people a little bit of relief in the mean time

“Rates is not something we can afford to right-off, but we are certainly aware of deteriorating weather conditions across the region.”

This is not the first time that McKinlay Shire Council has withheld its rates levy. The previous term of council postponed rates in 2013, 2014 and 2015. Once the feedback from the community started to pick up, council returned to their normal rates operations.

Read More: Rotary’s drought relief for North West communities.

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