Waiouru unhappy with separate ward rate

Ruapehu Bulletin, Volume 11, Issue 528, 22 March 1994, Page 5

Waiouru unhappy with separate ward rate

Despite the Waiouru Community Board having been against the idea, a new separate ward rate is to be introduced for the next Council financial year, the board heard at their meeting last Tuesday. Kerry Harding said she wanted it reported that the board has been against the introduction of the ward rate from the very beginning. Chris Ryan, corporate services director for the Ruapehu District Council, said the new system may not be as beneficial to Waiouru as the old one, due to the ward not having a broad base of ratepayers. For the average Waiouru property, (with a land value of $14,500) the new rate will mean an increase Of

By

Michele

Monaghan

about $22 per year, and will be shown as a separate charge on the rate assessment, he said. Waiouru projects proposed by the board had to be drastically reduced so as not to burden the Waiouru rate payer any more than necessary. To include all the projects submitted to the council for the financial year 1994/95 would have meant an increase of around $92 per year for the average rate payer under the new system. Projects recommended for inclusion were: street light for Ranui Walkway ($1940); 50 metre footpath for Ranui Street ($3000); grant to the Waiouru Army Museum ($4000) plus marketing share ($4000).

An extension to the Waiouru public toilets is tp proceed but has already been budgetted for. The ward rate also has to pay for 'democracy ' , which covers the costs of the community board which, for Waiouru, amounts to $20,000. The board, particularly Murray Fitchett, were very vocal in their belief that this amount was far too excessi ve for a small community such as Waiouru. After much discussion, Mr Ryan said certain overheads do not get any lower, no matter how small the community is. There is some consolation in that the general rate will be going down. The new rating system will take effect from 1 July 1994.

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