Southern Downs councillors have voted to adopt the ‘Rural Water Tank Rebate Policy’ which will make rebates available for residents not connected to town water.
The only catch is that with demand for the rebates potentially exceeding the funding allocated to the program eligible residents may need to go through an ‘expression of interest’ process and then a ‘ballot’ or lottery to determine successful applications.
In a statement released this week a council spokeswoman said at the February meeting of the council “councillors resolved to allocate $1,050,000 towards providing a water tank rebate to rural landowners”.
The formal policy was adopted at the May monthly meeting on Wednesday of this week.
The policy states the rebate “will be calculated at 10 cents per litre of tank capacity to a maximum of the cost of the tank, or $2500, whichever is less”.
“The funds have been allocated in Council’s 2020/2021 budget and eligibility criteria have been developed,” the spokeswoman said.
“The rural water tank rebate will involve a different application and approval process than previous water tank rebates for residents connected to town water.
“Council expects that the demand for this rebate will exceed the $1,050,000 of funds available and will therefore run an expression of interest process, followed by a ballot of eligible applications, should applications exceed available funding.”
Mayor Vic Pennisi said the “prospect of a rural tank rebate is expected to be very popular” and has urged residents “to familiarise themselves with the application process before making tank purchases”.
“If residents wish to take advantage of the rebate and increase their domestic water storage capacity, they shouldn’t rush out and buy a tank first; they will need to submit an expression of interest form first,” Cr Pennisi said.
“Once the expression of interest period closes, all eligible applications will be collated and if the total number received exceeds the available budget, a ballot will be undertaken to select the successful applicants.
“Written approval will be provided to successful applicants who can then purchase a water tank and arrange installation, with the assurance they are approved to receive the rebate.
“The Rural Water Tank Rebate is provided to assist as many rural residents as possible increase their domestic water storage capacity and help to drought-proof their properties.
“The last thing we want is for residents to rush out and buy a tank only to find out they haven’t been approved to receive the rebate.
“I ask residents to follow the process and wait to see if their expression of interest is approved before ordering or purchasing their tank”.
The council spokeswoman said the expression of interest process “will open in the coming weeks” with further information to be provided on Council’s website, through media releases and via social media.
See this ‘Frequently Asked Questions’ link for more info -https://www.sdrc.qld.gov.au/doing-business/plumbing-drainage/rural-water-tank-rebate/rural-tank-rebate-faqs/rural-water-tank-rebate-faqs
