Toowoomba sewerage charges locked in at $663.70 a pedestal for many connected properties

Toowoomba Regional Council has locked in 2026/27 sewerage utility charges that will apply to connected properties and some land inside sewered areas that is not connected. For many households and businesses, the annual charge is $663.70 per W.C. pedestal on connected land, while some unconnected land in sewered areas will be charged $331.84 a year.

The council also adopted the same $331.84 annual charge for improved lands that sit partly or wholly within the declared sewered area but are not connected to the sewerage system, and for unimproved lands in that area. Land with garbage grinders connected to the system will be charged on a unit basis, with the annual per-unit rate set at $76.30.

A separate common effluent drainage, or CED, charge was also adopted. For CED-connected land, the rate is $331.84 per W.C. pedestal, while some non-connected land in the declared CED area will be charged $165.92.

The charging rules vary for single detached dwellings, residential units and self-contained dwellings or flats on land use codes 03A and 03B. In those cases, the $663.70 sewerage charge applies to up to four W.C. pedestals, with the fifth and each additional pedestal charged at $331.84. The CED system uses the same structure, with $331.84 applying to up to four pedestals and $165.92 for the fifth and each additional pedestal.

Council also kept a 5 per cent discount for eligible ratepayers who pay differential general rates, sewerage utility charges and water infrastructure charges within 33 days of the rate notice date. The discount applies to land in differential general rating categories 1.1 to 1.6 and 2.1 to 2.3, provided all other rates and overdue amounts on the assessment are also paid within that period.

The sewerage charges form part of the wider 2026/27 budget package adopted at the special meeting on 30 June 2026. They will be levied through council's rating system in the 2026/27 financial year.

The charges affect connected properties across the Toowoomba Region, including some land inside sewered areas that is not linked to council sewerage infrastructure. They also cover specific properties within declared sewered or CED areas, so some owners will receive sewerage charges even without a standard household connection.

Council's sewerage utility charges are now fixed for the financial year, alongside the other rates and charges that will be issued under the council's billing cycle.