Council holds fire on merger

Waimarino Bulletin, Volume 4, Issue 1, 3 June 1986, Page 1

Council holds fire on merger

Raetihi Borough Councillors have decided to delay consideration of a letter from Brian Elwood, chairman of the Local Government Commission, on amalgamation of the three Waimarino local authorities. The letter outlined proposals for amalgamation and suggested that one final effort should be made to reach agreement. The Mayor, Garrick Workman, said at the Raetihi Borough Council meeting last week that it would be better to discuss the letter at the council's next meeting after the Waimarino County Council had made their decision. "It's not that we are hinging our decision on what the county do or do not do, but I am personally losing enthusiasm for our proposal," he said. Mr Workman said that no authority would be better off with the present amalgamation proposals, and may be significantly worse off in the short term. Cr Cornwall said that polls taken recently in areas

where amalgamation was about to take place showed the public were not very interested. In the light of these polls he said that the concern expressed for ratepayers in the amalgamation debate might be misplaced because they couldn't care less. Mr Workman said it would be a pity if amalgamation of some sort lapsed completely. Mr Elwood's letter was to be distributed to councillors. Ohakune Borough Council have already discussed Mr Elwood's letter and accepted most of his proposals. However Ohakune Councillors wanted the representation formula changed to give them four members instead of three, against three for Raetihi and five for Waimarino County. Later in the meeting Raetihi councillors decided to go into committee to discuss the 1986-87 estimates, a newsletter to Ngapakihi ratepayers and a Health Department report concerning the property of a borough ratepayer.