The Local Government Act 1993 was amended in 2005 to allow councils to levy a stormwater management service charge (SMSC) for improved stormwater management.
This change was made in recognition of councils’ need for sustainable funding to support the key role they play in stormwater management. The Division of Local Government and the Office of Environment and Heritage undertook this ‘snapshot’ review to monitor implementation of the SMSC in the financial years of 2006–07, 2007–08, and 2008–09.
The review included:
- the appropriateness of council charging structures
- whether council spending of the charges raised was in accordance with the Local Government Act 1993, Local Government (General) Regulation 2005 and the Stormwater Management Service Charge Guidelines Department of Local Government 2006
- whether councils’ reporting of planned and actual spending of the SMSC was in accordance with the statutory requirements under the Act and Regulation.
This report presents the findings from this monitoring project and makes recommendations to help improve SMSC implementation.