Valuation changes will affect rates

Ruapehu Bulletin, Volume 7, Issue 341, 26 June 1990, Page 5

Valuation changes will affect rates

Ratepayers should be warned that there will be changes to the way rates fall whether there is an increase in the overall rate-take or not. Because of the revaluations that took place to bring some parts of the district in line with the rest, there will be changes to the

proportion of rates collected between those areas, the council heard last Friday. Deputy Mayor Weston Kirton suggested public meetings be held to explain the differences, but his motion was lost. Other councillors agreed that ratepayers should be informed of the changes

but agreed with General Manager Cliff Houston's assertion that there would be no point to meetings until the actual rates were struck. He said ratepayers were bound to ask what difference, in dollars to them, the changes would make. Cr Shaw said ratepayers should be pre-

warned and that they should check their valuations. "The average bloke gets his valuation and it means nothing until he gets his rate demand. Then he throws a wobbly but by then it's too late," said Cr Shaw. Cr Peach said the population does not realise there will be

changes due to the valuation changes. "Some people are going to pay a lot more in rates," said Cr Kirton. "Let's be positive about it and show what is likely to happen to people's rates and why." General Manager Cliff Houston said such an exercise would be time consuming and of little value until actual fig- > ures were available. "Until then you're not comparing apples with apples," he said. Cr Peach said the council could work out^ where the percentages of the rate take is going to fall and make that public. The council decided to put together a press release outlining the valuation changes in the , district.