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Would 3-percent rates cap help tame growing concerns? – December 2024

December 9, 2024 December 2024 No Comments

One in every 10 South Wairarapa residents _ 1020 of the district’s 10,000+ _ signed a petition seeking a 3% rates cap for next year, after the past five years saw rates rise an average of 96%. 

Councillors received the petition at a formal meeting, thanked the group and, surprisingly to some,  immediately began planning to include some residents and “stakeholders” in budget and work programme workshops during December.

The group which organised the rates cap petition over the past month said the SWDC’s rates hike is “a higher rate of increase than anywhere else in New Zealand.” Inflation over the same period was one quarter of the 96 percent rates rise.

For hundreds of households, the new capital value rating system means “increases of close to 200 percent are being paid” by some, group spokeswoman Leah Hawkins said.

At the South Wairarapa District Council meeting, she said signatories were “deeply concerned about the financial pressures these rates increases have put on households and businesses.”

Hawkins warned councillors that “ratepayers can’t sustain the tzunami of spending coming our way” for upgrading essential water, waste water and roading projects _ let alone the many other spending requirements the council is facing.

Capping the rates increase would lead to more effective budgeting by the council.

In an earlier statement, Hawkins said that “in today’s world, ratepayers should not have to tolerate either another double-digit rates hike in 2025 or a lesser increase that is funded only by a reduction in council’s service levels to the public.

“It’s the right of all ratepayers to expect a genuine, comprehensive review of operating expenditure, and a strong commitment by elected council representatives and senior managers to the financial security of households and services, and to growth in the local economy.”

Ratepayer Daphne Geisler told councillors that after two years of taking part in council events “I felt I didn’t want to do it any more _ I didn’t feel I was being listened to, ended  up having barriers when I was speaking … I totally backed off (as nothing’s going to change), it’s not worth it.”

“the last meeting I went to … a councillor’s comment was ‘she’s one person, there are 10,000 people who are happy,’ so you can see why I have stayed home.”

“Unless people do stand up and be heard and give ideas … they want this to be a better community, they want you to listen and they want to be involved. I’m thankful there are people who still have the energy.”   

She proposed the council hold “multiple open workshops” on the Long Term Plan _ “why not open the books instead of giving us one choice at the bottom of the list of opportunities … and give us a chance to participate?” 

While “a thousand” had signed the petiton, they likely was “hiding maybe another 3 – 4,000 people” who were unhappy. 

Other public submitters told the meeting their impressions were that the council was not listening to, hearing or apparently prepared to properly consult the community on the issues it faces.

“Councillors just don’t get that they have a crisis on their hands – a rates burden crisis and a credibility crisis with their public, writ large on the satisfaction survey results,” one said. 

(See P3: “The Good, the Bad, the Ugly”).

As public participation ended, a change of mood occurred.

Councillor Aidan Ellims moved to suspend Standing Orders to open a discussion on the issues raised by submitters. 

Noting the 10 percent of residents/ratepayers signatures on the petition _ “which is significantly more than we have ever received in our (public) consultations, one would like to … include some of our community members in our LTP (Long Term Plan budgeting) workshops leading up to Christmas.”

Council CEO Janice Smith suggested inviting some outsiders to a 4 December LTP workshop.

Councillor Colin Olds recommended briefing a group ahead of the workshop to ensure they were up to date. 

Councillors then requested the Chief Executive invite the petitioner and other members of the community to workshop a range of thoughts and ideas on the preparations for the Long Term Plan consultation.

Month-long public consultation for the Long Term Plan will open on 28 February. 

“We encourage everyone to participate in the consultation and share their feedback,” Councillor Ellims said. 

One official described the inclusion proposal as “a new period of engagement with the community.”

Deputy mayor Melissa Sadler-Futter said councillors “have had a challenge thrown out to us to sign the petition,” warning such a move would constitute “pre-determination and exclude them from final decision-making.”   

CEO Smith recommended councillors not sign for legal reasons.

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