‘Thirty days has September/April, June, and November/All the rest have thirty-one/Except February alone/Which has twenty-eight days clear/Twenty-nine in each leap year.’
So goes the rhyme, although there are variants, taught to children to remember how many days are in any specific month in any given year, but it was seemingly forgotten at Mornington Peninsula Shire council which added an extra day to next year’s calendar.
Rates notices posted out to peninsula property owners show the third instalment should be paid before a ‘29/02/2017’ deadline.
The date 29 February 2017 does not exist as, unlike 2016, it is not a leap year.
But puzzled ratepayers should have no fear, the shire wants to make it clear, the cost of late payment will not be dear.
“It was an error on the front of the rates notices. The correct date is supplied on the back,” communications and media manager Mark Kestigian confirmed.
“They won’t be reissued. Even with the incorrect date, ratepayers won’t be penalised if they don’t pay on the day.
“They will at worst get a gentle reminder notice in late March.”
Any late payment notices will hopefully be dated 31 March 2017 at the latest, not 32 March.
First published in the Western Port News – 23 August 2016
