On 25 May 2021 and 1 June 2021, Central Coast Council adopted the water, sewer and stormwater drainage fees and charges for the 2021-22 charging year in line with the May 2019 three-year price determination by the Independent Pricing and Regulatory Tribunal (IPART).   

• Water service charges will increase by 1.1% and water usage charges will increase by 1.4% in 2021-22 from the prices levied in 2020-21.  These increases are in line with IPART’s three-year price determination.

• Area-based stormwater drainage service charges (non-residential customers), with the exception of the small properties, will have an increase in the base charge before the application of the CPI multiplier for 2021-22.  IPART determined to do this to reduce bill shock for these customers.

There are different changes to sewer service charges for residential and non-residential customers because of two different reasons:

1. Non-residential sewer service charges in the former Wyong Local Government Area will have an increase in the base charge before the application of the CPI multiplier for 2021-22.  IPART determined to gradually rebase the sewer service charge over 4 years.
    
2. Due to a modelling error made by IPART and corrected with a Clarification Notice published in the NSW Government Gazette on 30 April 2021, the sewer service charge revenue that Council was able to collect over the three-year price determination period was reduced by $1.8 million. To correct the impact of this error the sewer service charge for customers will increase from 1 July 2021 resulting in the following outcomes:

• Residential single dwelling customers paying an additional $17.63 in the former Gosford Local Government Area (an annual increase of 4.4% from 2020-21 prices) and paying an additional $13.70 in the former Wyong Local Government Area (an annual increase of 3.7% from 2020-21 prices) for 2021-22. 
• Non-residential customers paying an additional $20 or more annually, dependent on the size of the water meter.
• These prices include the impacts of the IPART Clarification Notice and the application of the CPI multiplier to the base charges included in the IPART three-year price determination. 

These sewer service charge increases will result in no more total revenue for Council than was intended over the IPART three-year price determination period.