Building service costs up

Ruapehu Bulletin, Volume 12, Issue 538, 31 May 1994, Page 7

Building service costs up

The $ 1 5,000 additional allocation of funding for Building Inspection Services (from $179,000 to $194,000) in the 1994/95 Ruapehu District Council Draft Annual Plan is to cover all activities associated with the Building Act (1991), the council was told at their special meeting last week. Previously this activity - which has included legal costs incurred by council in fulfilling its obligations - has been budgeted for in the following year to that in which the activity took place. The building inspectipn work was carried out by 1.5 staff, but the extra workload resulting from the 1991 Building Act has required an increase in staff to 2.5. It is proposed to recover all expenditure associated with the issuing of Property Information Memorandums and consents but any gap between expenditure and income is due to the council' s current requirement of providing non-recoverable time such as that spent in answering queries, investigating complaints etc. Chief Executive Cliff Houston said legal costs have been particularly prevalent in the Waimarino where developers often take a short cut in order to take advantage of the ski season. "They seem to be prepared to take all sorts of risks," he said.