NRS-22135 | Rate books [St Peters Municipal Council]

Full description

This series contains the rate books of St Peters Municipal Council

Each year each local council was required to set the level of, and collect rates in respect of all rateable properties within the municipal or shire district. These rate books were initially created under ss.137-156 of the Municipalities Act 1897 (Act No.23, 1897), and subsequent legislation. These sections specified the rating responsibilities of the council, and the need to maintain a rate book. Rates were levied under s.130 which allowed the council to make by laws. Rates could be general, or special, such as water or educational rates.

For each rateable property record was created which generally identified the property and person rated and included details of the annual value of the property, the amounts due, amounts paid, arrears and when rates were abandoned. A complete rate may comprise two parts: a rate book and a Valuation book. The Valuation books generally identified the properties and persons rated and the rates book comprised the accounting details. Valuation and Rate books were generally maintained separately and therefore have been registered as separate series. Where the books were maintained together they have been registered as one series.

The Municipality was divided into two wards: St Peters and Cook’s River. The boundaries were from Unwins Bridge, north up Unwins Bridge Road on the boundary of Marrickville Municipal Council, east and south-east on the boundaries of Newtown and Alexandria Municipal Councils to Shea’s Creek, and south down Shea’s Creek to Cook’s River, and west up to the river to Unwins Bridge. In 1878 a third ward, Brompton was proclaimed. By 1904 a fourth ward was added and ward names were changed to North, Brompton, Bellevue and Tempe. The western boundary of the Municipality was extended in 1920 when the Council took over the portion of land between Unwins Bridge Road and the Illawarra Railway Line from the Municipality of Marrickville.