REMEMBER WHEN

GOLD COAST BULLETIN Friday February 13, 1987

MORE than 1000 ratepayers in the Albert Shire faced legal action over rates arrears which soared to a million dollar-plus record level.

With the council struggling against high interest rates and bills that included construction costs for its new $6.5 million new Nerang headquarters, it was considering legal moves against defaulting ratepayers.

But many of those included people battling mortgages, developers hit by the slump in the property market and rising interest rates and even the Queensland Housing Commission.

The shire’s rates arrears reached critical proportions affecting the planning of the next year’s budget at a time when the economic slowdown halted any expected growth in the shire’s rate base.

Shire clerk Terry Moore said the rates arrears “in excess of a million dollars” were owed by more than 2000 ratepayers. However, pensioners would be exempt from council legal action.

Mr Moore said any arrears owned by pensioners would eventually be sought from their estates.

Member of the council finance committee, Cr Bob Boyce, who represented Beenleigh, one of the mortgage areas hardest hit by the interest rate hike, warned the council would get tough. While admitting some homeowners would find it difficult to pay arrears, he said: “Life is tough for everyone”.

Neighbouring Logan City was harder hit by unemployment, mortgagee defaults and a rise in the number of poverty stricken single parent families.