Typically, I read about this in your paper on Wednesday and saw reference to the subject on the council’s website, which I was moved to peruse as I could not believe the hide of the council (again). 

I thought, “Well, it can’t affect me as I’ve not seen a letter.” Letters were said to have been sent to the 7000 affected property owners.

How wrong could I be? 

Why does the general public discover this rort before the individuals that are directly affected become informed? 

The council wishes to levy another tax on property owners without any consultation or explanation of why the tax is necessary, how the extra revenue 

is to be spent, apart from some vague reference to an “Education and Assessment Program, GIS mapping (what the hell is GIS mapping?!) and incident investigations”. 

I don’t need educating about my septic tank; if I have an “incident”, I get it fixed.

When a rural property is sold or renovated, the council has to approve the septic tank installation (again, they obfuscate with phrases like On-Site Sewage Management System, OSSMS; it’s a septic tank, mate!). 

My property was renovated eight years ago and approval for the new system was granted and the system installed. As far as I am concerned, I need no education program or assessment .

If the system does not function correctly, it’ll be on the nose and on my account to get it fixed. It is no longer any of council’s damn business. 

The council has not told us why the system needs to be changed. They have not asked us what our opinion is, they have no mandate to impose this unnecessary tax, and they don’t say whether they will increase the amount in the future.

To really annoy us, they say they will impose inspections on a minimum of a five-year cycle to be charged at $85.

For what? 

The systems are approved when the property is sold. End of story. So why do they need to be “monitored for compliance with the relevant performance standards and legislation”? 

That was the point of the approval in the first place! 

So assuming council was competent to judge this to begin with, why the need for a reinspection? They are inspected when the property changes hands. 

If a septic tank does not work, I think the owner is fairly likely to do something about it without the interference of “nanny” council, costing the ratepayer more money for no service. 

Some wag suggested to me that someone in the council has a contract for sewage inspections but I replied that they were just being too cynical!

I recently wrote to the council re a gazettal notice in the paper that concerned the usage of a road for 

B-doubles. The notice told us that we had to respond within five days, yes, five days! 

I responded that it would be nice if the council, who knows who the affected ratepayers along that road are, could have been informed personally by letter of the possibility of a proposal to affect their neighbourhood and would there be any objections? 

(I have yet to receive acknowledgement of that letter and it’s over five days since I wrote; one rule for them!) 

It’s ironic, isn’t it, that when they want to tell us of a fait accompli, such as the imposition of an unwarranted, unnecessary, unexplained new tax, they will let us know by personal letter! 

Albeit after they have told the world via the internet and the local press!

I ask that the council apologise for not consulting septic tank owners about this new tax and cancel its introduction.