Roads' Board upsets county

Waimarino Bulletin, Volume 3, Issue 35, 11 February 1986, Page 1

Roads' Board upsets county

The Waimarino County Council has been asked to find part of the cost of improvements and the whole cost of snow clearing for the Ohakune Mountain Road after a change in practice by the National Roads Board. Formerly the NRB allowed a 100 per cent subsidy on construction and maintenance of the road and paid for snow clearing, but this is to change, according to a letter from Mr R. K. Thomson, secretary of the NRB tabled at the council's January meeting. Mr Peter Wright, Local Authority Liaison Engineer for the NRB, said that the Mountain Road, like the Bruce Road at Whakapapa, was defined as a special purpose road as it was entirely within a national park and no rates were derived from it. "Traditionally a 100 per cent subsidy- came from the board for maintenance and construction while the road remained under local authority control," he said. "While the county con-

trols the road, properties fronting it are National Park and pay no rates, but there is a commercial venture at the top. "The board is looking for some degree of equity and says that users, or those who benefit from the road, should pay something towards it." The NRB will continue to provide a 100 per cent maintenance subsidy, except that after 1 April 1986 snow clearing will no longer be included, and a 75 per cent subsidy on road improvements. Mr Wright said the case of the Mountain Road was not unique and reviews of subsidies on special purpose roads were inevitable as costs increased. Councillors were unhappy at the change because they understood that when the council took over the road some years ago it had been agreed that ratepayers' funds would not be used to finance the road. "The facts are not laid out correctly — we have a big

problemon our hands, "said Cr John Martin. The county chairman, Bruce Berry, said that the NRB was not fully acquainted with the situation and the subject should be taken up again. Cr Heinold said it was important that none of the ratepayers paid anything towards the road. Chairman of the county's works committee, Cr John Martin, said later that the county was not prepared to accept the NRB decision. "They pushed us to take the road over and gave us the understanding that no ratepayer would have to pay — it is not acceptable and we will take our case to the Ministry of Works and Development," he said. He said that the MWD paid for snow clearance from the Chateau Road and the Desert Road and asked how they differed from the Mountain Road. "Surveys show that 40 per cent of Mountain Road users are not skiers so why should they pay," he said.