Road improvement policy to be studied further

Ruapehu Bulletin, Volume 12, Issue 567, 20 December 1994, Page 8

Road improvement policy to be studied further

Further debate has stalled the Ruapehu District Council's policy on roading improvement rates — the policy whereby road improvement projects in the district are categorised for funding according to where the benefit of such work would lie. Mayor Garrick Workman asked if the district as a whole should fiind projects such as the Pipiriki Road upgrade (planned to cater for more logging traffic). Under the proposed policy, because the work is likely to receive a generous Transit New Zealand subsidy , it would be funded by the southern roading rate. But if it were not subsidised it could be a 'Category A' works project, being of benefit to the whole district. Also of concern were 'Category C' works, where the funding would come 50 per cent from the appropriate Ward Improvement Rate and 50 per cent from ratepayers whose properties benefited from the work. Councillors asked if there should be maximum and minimum contributions set, so that landowners with large

properties were not paying an unduly high share of such work. Council chief executive Cliff Houston said the landowner!s contribution could be gathered partly by way of a uniform annual charge and partly on land value. Cr Cosford said there should be a cumulative total of works money spent on such projects to ensure that one ward did not receive an unfair share of such funds. Mayor Garrick Workman said that wouldn't happen because "we're fair and reasonable people." The council agreed to send the policy back to the Funding Review Working Party to consider the points raised.