It is the time of the year when you see fully-grown responsible members of society crying like a baby as they wander aimlessly around the streets.

It is the time of the year when you see families wondering whether they will still have a family home to live in after the government has had their way with them.

It is also the time when reasonable people take to the hills, climb to the apex and dementedly shake their fists at the gods of bad fortune and poverty.

No, it’s not the winter solstice, it’s not the end of the world, it’s not even payment time for all 30-day accounts.

No – and for those who are still wondering where all this is leading too, wonder no more. Yes dear readers, its tax time. And with that, it is also paying-the-council-rates time. Well, for most of the population it is anyway.

It is great to be alive at this time of the year if you are a tax agent. It is also great to be the local council as rate payments pour in to the council coffers.

However, there is also a negative side to that happy scenario.

Councilors were informed at the last general meeting of the Weddin Shire council on July 15, by the Corporate Services Director, Mr Glenn Carroll, that a debt recovery process for outstanding rates is about to be launched in the very near future.

For some years now there have been dozens of mainly vacant blocks of land on the council’s books where no rate payment has been received during that time.

Mr Carroll told the meeting that the actual amount of outstanding rates will be better ascertained by October this year when it is expected that he will have a final figure.

However, there are some landowners who, due to the level of unpaid rates that have accumulated over many years, will have their properties confiscated by the council in order to recoup the rates debt.