Regional Council For Taupo

Taupo Times, Volume XIV, Issue 36, 11 May 1965, Page 1

Regional Council For Taupo

JOINT MEETING AGREES ON AMALGAMATION

A bold and imaginative concept of one local body for the entire area of the Taupo county and borough was set in train yesterday when a joint meeting of the two councils agreed unanimously to have legislation drawn up to form a Regional Council.

The meeting set as its target date August of this year so that the new council can be elected in October.

At the end of what was only a brief diseussion, the meeting decided to recommend the amalgamation move to its respective parent bodies "by the formation of a regional council" and to employ a suitable person to "formalise" the proposals and report to the county and town clerks and to draft legislation. Machixtery for appointing a person selected by the councils was set up at the meeting.

Throughout the meeting, members of both councils stressed the urgency of the rnatter. Cr U. R. MacDonald said that Taupo borough and county were "in the process of a development explosion," and, with about 3000 square miles of territory, would be geographicaily suited as a regional council. Administration costs wouki be reduced and duptication of various bodies avoided. It would be as well to make the move before , separate bodies were formed at Turangi and Mangakino. With only two eouncils involved, there were f ewf* difficulties; more would only complicate the s£tua-i tion. / Cr R. D. TvkmSiJle said eofeqie ilbms xasiu, in the past, oniypaid lip service to ; the idea of amalgamation. j Now, progress could be j made and some new ideas applied to local government. Cr R. B. Dick said he had, a complete sense of urgency about the matter. "I think we could surprise ourselves if we really got working on this." Cr J- Stanley said the machinery was the duty of the administrative staff; a 11 the councils had to do was to make a decision. Cr G. Marlow: It will never be easier than now.

Cr C. 1. Jacoby: Everyone seems to be in favour. Before making its decision on the amalgamation the councils heard a report from the borough and county clerks, Messrs K. G. Winton and C. J. Coates. Three types of authority for administering the regional council were set down in the report. These were: — - A predominately rural authority exercising urban functions; a "two-tier" regional authority; or a "single-tier" authority of moderate size, working through committees with a realistic delegation of authority to those sjQmmittees. It was this latter form of administration the meeting favoured. "This authority (the single-tier system) should

be relatively simple to operate, provided full use is made of the committee system," the report said. Committees should oe relatively small in membership and have reasonably extensive powers through delegations from the council. Included in the suggested functions the new council could assume were those of the rabbit boards, fire authorities, distribution of electric power, administration of domains and reserves, milk supply, airport, lake control. At the same time, the council should be entitled to reas- 1 onable representation on J education and hospital j boards, catchment and I drainage authorities. The council should be made up of about 15 councillors, each representing some 1150 persons or £1 million capital value.

So far as division of the area into wards or ridings was concerned, this should only be for the purposes of representation — not as the basis of accountancy (such as county riding accounts). When it came to rates, such amenities as libraries could be set up, involving a main library and branches throughout the area as necessary. Books could be interehanged from the main department. This would lead to a universa! library vote. A series of special rating areas, much the same as j those used for catchment j boards could handle the fire rate so that those areas with better proteetion paicl the bulk of the cost. Separate rating generally would he decided by town planning and engineering factors, i.e. water, sewer, refuse, etc. The administration rates would apply over the whole area with works areas dividod into sections according to the type of usage. While it did not appear there would be any immediate reduction in overhead, it was likely that the future would see considerable expansion without greatly increased costs. Earlier, the meeting decided to consider a plan to be put for ward by the borough on the sharing of the responsibility for power distribution throughout the area.