Wards free to set separate rate

Ruapehu Bulletin, Volume 11, Issue 524, 22 February 1994, Page 1

Wards free to set separate rate

Ruapehu District councillors accepted a new rating policy which will allow wards to set separate rates to fund capital works and improvements to benefit individual wards. Also to be rated separately will be the cost of "local democracy" - community board members' allowances and meeting costs etc - and the cost of agencies. Community boards can now recommend a rate to fund improvements to parks, reserves, sports grounds, swimming pools, public toilets, and the cost of "general property not used for operational purposes." Maintenance of such assets would continue to be funded from the general rate. Councillor Ellen Gould opposed the change, saying she was no happier than when a similar review was proposed last year. "I'm still not convinced that this is something we should be taking on. I'm not convinced it is a role for community boards," she said. "This is one district now. We might be replacing one can of worms with a whole lot of cans of worms. "Everybody has said 'it's a good concept - but' - just look at all the 'buts' already appearing." She said rating decisions made at council level were made impartially and that at community board level, the issues often became too personal. Cr Weston Kirton said he was willing to give the new system a try and that the present system was not good. Cr John Compton said he had no 'buts' about the proposal. He said it would make community boards more accountable and smooth out some of the "trials and tribulations of the annual plan". "Council will still set the rates in the end and that is the safety check," he said. An amendment to the proposed policy review sees all improvements to the roading network funded from the district roading rate and not from separate ward rates. "Improvements to roads which benefit a small, distinct locality only and do not contribute to the general net, for example the sealing of short no-exit roads of a rural residential nature, would be funded from ward separate rates." Limitations to the ward separate rates are built in to the review. The community boards can only recommend ward separate rates. It is ultimately up to the council to make and levy rates. A cap of 0.125 cents in the dollar on rateable capital value has been set for the ward separate rate. (The council's legal limit is 1.25 cents in the dollar). An individual ward may exceed the limjt if the community board produces a compelling argument to Council on the need to depart from the general policy guideline. All expenditure being funded by ward separate rates has to be in conformity with the general policies of the Council. The new rates policy comes into effect for the 1994/95 annual plan, so community boards need to finalise their Turn to P2