Ditching paper rates notices in favour of email has paid off in more ways than one for Kureelpa couple Sherylann and Lawrie Wallace, who are the lucky winners of council's 'Win Your Rates' competition.
The Wallaces will have their next rates bill paid after being drawn as the winners of the competition, which ran from January 8 to February 20. It encouraged Sunshine Coast rate payers to receive their rates notices electronically rather than via traditional postal services and offered a prize incentive of up to $1,000 off their rates bill. Rate payers who already received their rates notices by email were automatically included in the draw.
"We're extremely excited to win! We're very much in favour of minimising paper use and we've been receiving our council rates notices by email since 2016, enabling us to pay online which has been very handy as we like to travel a lot," Sherylann said.
"Receiving our rates notices by email is so convenient and they can be easily filed year after year. This competition by council to encourage more rate payers to receive their rates notices online is a wonderful idea."
Corporate Strategy and Finance Portfolio Councillor Tim Dwyer said around 3,800 properties had signed up to receive their rates notices electronically during the competition period, providing convenience for more ratepayers and environmental positives for the Sunshine Coast.
"The aim of this competition is to encourage more of our ratepayers to receive their rates notices by email and allow council to reduce the environmental impact of printing and mailing our rates notices using traditional postal services," Cr Dwyer said.
"Moving to an online system enables ratepayers to receive their notices wherever they are, anywhere in the world and arrange payment in a more convenient and timely manner to ensure they don't miss the on-time payment discount.
"I encourage ratepayers who're still receiving their notices in the post to visit council's website, sign up to MyCouncil or login to their existing MyCouncil accounts and change your preferred rates notice delivery method from post to email."
You'll find a step-by-step guide to setting up your MyCouncil account and changing your preferred rates notice delivery method on council's website. MyCouncil is an online dashboard where residents can interact with council, view their property, rates, business and animal details and make requests and payments.
