National Park rates sympathy

Ruapehu Bulletin, Volume 9, Issue 439, 9 June 1992, Page 4

National Park rates sympathy

• Well, well well. It seems to be the 'dirty' season again, not winter, not spring but rate time - a time of promises, broken promises etc and also an awareness of another council 'balls up'. I am of course referring to the National Park sewerage and water scheme. After reading last we6k's Bulletin on the National Park issue we of Rangataua whole heartedly sympathize with the rate payers of National Park for once again it falls back on them to bail out council for someone's gross incompetence. I wonder if it was the same one that made the balls up of the Rangataua sewerage scheme. I also read with interest that on our next rate demand we face a further levy of not $15 but $20 to help for the National Park blunder. I was at a meeting in Rangataua in 1990 when the issue of a levy was brought up and it was stated by certain people that this was a one-off situation and would also

be paid back in the future (quote Bulletin Friday 24 August 1990). Strange how things seem to get tumed around or forgotten over a period of time. It does pay to keep old news papers. I noted at the time when Rangataua residents were facing extra charges for their sewerage scheme, once again caused by council's incompetence that no one stood up and urged for assistance for the Rangataua rate payers. Unfortunately they had to foot the whole bill by themselves. Last but not least, surely if all the Richardson's, Bolger's, Douglas's and of course local administrators of the world who cause these mammoth blunders had to dip into their own million dollar bank accounts to foot the bill instead of passing the buck onto the poor old rate payer all the time, we would find more satisfying results and less mistakes. Worth a try don't you think. T A Spry