No local rate

Ruapehu Bulletin, Volume 10, Issue 482, 20 April 1993, Page 3

No local rate

From page 1 water and food protection, the operation of community boards and other miscellaneous expenditures within each ward. Cr Ellen Gould (Waimarino) said that when the separate rating system was first proposed she had thought it was a good idea but, after giving the matter a lot of consideration, had changed her mind. "We have come a long way towards working as a united council and creating a united district and we should give this (spirit of co-operation) more time to develop as it was already beginning to jell", she said. "A separate rating system would re-create the parochialism that earlier existed and I can see a lot of 'fish hooks' in any change. She said this was a personal view but had expressed her reservations at the last Waimarino Community Board meeting. Councillor and National Park Community Board chairman Eddie Turley, agreed with Cr Gould saying that

his ward was too large for the separate rating system to be administered practically and implementation would be difficult. Cr Stuart Shaw (Taumarunui) said that he already had so much on his plate he would prefer to maintain the status quo for perhaps another 12 months. Cr Graeme Cosford (Taumarunui) said that he still had some reservations and Cr Tony Hawkins said he would like to see a few more facts and figures before making a judgement. Ruapehu District mayor Garrick Workman reminded councillors that, at a full meeting of council, they bear in mind that they should represent the views of the community boards. "I have attended almost all of these community board and ward committee meetings and the feeling I got was that they all wanted the (proposed) change, and most had voted for it", he said. "It would make the operation of the community boards more meaningful and give them more responsibility and accountability to their own communities".

Cr John Compton (Waimarino) agreed that he could see an advantage in having local community boards take some responsibility for discretionary spending within their own communities. Cr Bob Peck (Waimarino) said that he disagreed with Cr Gould and other speakers who did not support the change on a fundamental principle. "The majority of community boards and ward committees have voted for the change so, what is the point of holding these community board and ward committee meetings if we, as full council members, turn their recommendations down ... where's the democracy in that?" "The majority of people sitting here today have ignored and undermined the status of the community boards", he said. After a vote was taken on a show of hands (seven to five against) Cr Compton suggested that the matter be taken up again next month after council had dealt with the 1993/94 Annual Plan so that the proposed altemative separate rating system is not lost sight of.