Douglas Shire Council has been questioned over whether its smart water program is “discriminatory” – with a homeowner complaining that residents in gated estates are being made to pay for new smart water meters and their installation, whereas other ratepayers in the shire are not charged for the devices.

A ratepayer who lives at the Sands Estate in Port Douglas has contacted Newsport, saying that he and others living in such gated estates in Douglas Shire, are receiving “inequitable” treatment from Council over the meters and their installation throughout the Shire.

Thomas Brown said he does not represent The Sands or anyone else at the estate in raising the issue – but that as an individual, wanted to point out there appeared to be different sets of rules between residents of gated communities and the rest of the region’s ratepayers.

Mr Brown told Newsport he went to see a Council officer, hoping to get some sort of explanation about why some ratepayers have to pay for the smart meters and some don’t.

“I asked why is it that a person who happens to live in an estate different from the ratepayer who lives down the road? And I could not get a simple answer!”

Mr Brown said he has been corresponding with Council about the meters over several months but has now run into a brick wall.

At one point he received an email back saying, “the matter of smart water meters for gated properties is currently under review and a full response will be issued to you in due course.”

But for now, he said, there has been no change to Council’s policy on the smart meters in gated estates.

He would still have to pay for his contribution towards a new ‘master’ meter at the front of the estate, as well as an individual meter for his home, and his proportion of a ‘plumbing plan’ and installation costs, and a council fee on top of all those.

He adds that there is inconsistency on Council’s part too – because they recently upgraded the sewerage infrastructure in The Sands without charging residents.

In an email to Newsport, Mr Brown said: “To confirm and acknowledge Council’s liability a Water Access Charge continues to be imposed on each individual Ratepayer (rather than a single charge on the Estate) and Council has recently upgraded the sewerage infrastructure at no cost to the Estate.”