Rates by email a saving for council

04 Aug 2017

Newcastle City Council is urging all rate payers with an email address to sign up to receive rates notices in their inbox instead of their letterboxes.
 
Getting rates emailed -- not sent by snail mail -- saves the city postage costs, reduces paper usage in a win for the environment and gives residents a digital record to keep on file.
 
The money the city saves on postage fees is re-invested in other services and projects.
 
"Currently there are around 3,600 or five per cent of properties that receive rate notices by email in the Newcastle local government area," Council's Interim CEO, Jeremy Bath, said.
 
"For every property receiving notices by email, Council saves around $4 annually, so in the current financial we'll save around $15,000.
 
"If everyone signed up to receive rates by email, we'd save $300,000 a year. That's enough to fund two new playgrounds."
 
I urge all rate payers with an email address to visit Rates notices by email - City of Newcastle (nsw.gov.au)