Redland City Council is in the clear over the issuing of rates and charges, with no problems related to the process through which bills are sent out.
Fears had been raised that Queensland councils could have muffed the way they charge ratepayers after it was found that Fraser Coast Regional Council had issued three years of invalid rates because it had failed to pass appropriate resolutions during annual budget meetings.
Redland mayor Karen Williams said council was fully compliant on budget resolutions under state legislation.
“Prior to our budget adoption this year we commissioned a full independent legal review of our resolutions by a top tier legal firm which found us to be fully compliant,” Cr Williams said.
Local Government Association of Queensland chief executive Greg Hallam said he was confident a Supreme Court decision relating to rates and charges levied by the Fraser Coast Regional Council had no implications for other Queensland councils.
“We are conducting an audit of all councils to reinforce that view,” Mr Hallam said.
“We are keeping all major parties briefed should a resolution of the issue regarding Fraser Coast Regional Council need a legislative response.”
In April it was found that a technical blunder by Redland City Council had forced it to return about $7 million from a special levy which was collected for dredging and repair work on canal and lake estates.
When the levy was set up in 2011, no end point or dollar projection on the total monies to be collected were defined.
This was found not to meet legislative requirements.
Money in the fund is being returned although sums to individual property owners vary according to how much they have put in.
