Rates up!

Waimarino Bulletin, Volume 6, Issue 242, 17 May 1988, Page 1

Rates up!

Rates are going up by 1.8 to 8.3 per cent in the Waimarino District this year.

Ohakune is facing the biggest increase at 8.30 per cent while Raetihi is going up by 6.1 per cent and the old

county is going up by 1.8 per cent. The increases were agreed to last week after a five hour discussion by the Waimarino

District Council finance and administration committee. They have yet to be approved by the full council, Hot debate and some quick pruning took place before the figures

were finally set. Most of the debate was over the rural ward increase. Councillors Dave Griffiths, Peggy Frew, Bill Harding and Doug Bennett argued strongly that the credit balance

of $162,000 with which the county ended the 1987-88 financial year should be applied to keeping the increase minimal. They maintained the rural community was Tobackpage

Rates up!

From page 1 under such severe financial pressure that it could not withstand a rate increase. Revaluation of the county is effective this year and already some rural ratepayers are facing increases of up to 20 per cent. Originally general manager John Murrihy had proposed a 13.6 peir cent increase for the rural ward. This was designed to raise $104,912 extra. He proposed raising of rates totalling $984,969 in the rural ward, $448,503 at Raetihi and $859,116 in Ohakune. This represented an increase of 12.8 per cent in Raetihi and 8.9 per cent in Ohakune. In opening the discussion, Mayor Gar-

rick Workman said everyone was aware of the difficult financial climate particularly as it affected farmers. But the council had to strike rates that were realistic and enabled it to live and work. Mr Murrihy said he had budgeted from a zero base and he hoped savings could be gained, but he could no»t guarantee this. By the end of the year he might be able to show overall economies. Revaluation of the county meant that the rate increase would not be the same across the board. "There is little we can do except introduce differential rating and obviously this is not something we can do this year," he said. "In my opinion, though, it is something we should do next year."

A full report on the rates debate together with a break down of the estimates for the new district council will be published in a feature section of next week's Bulletin.