Guest Editorial: No review on rating

The Whangarei District Council has now adopted its long-term plan.

"Have you had your say yet?" screamed the newspaper headline when the council was calling for submissions to the draft long-term plan (LTP). The article went on to say ... "make sure you have your say as we need your input to get it right".

I had read through the draft LTP and, as I found a couple of things that I considered were wrong with it, I decided to make a submission.

There were two particular issues that I submitted on ... rates and debt ... items referred to by council as the "nitty gritty" issues.

A comprehensive rates review has been in the pipeline for many years as stated in earlier annual plans. The current system was put in place just after the local authority amalgamations in 1989 and has been tinkered with on numerous occasions since then. Council had earlier agreed that a comprehensive review was needed. Last year in the draft plan, council put forward a proposal to change the rates system but later withdrew it for the following reason as published in the final adopted plan ...

"Council has rejected this proposal until a comprehensive funding and rating review is completed in conjunction with next year's LTP process."

Now let's understand this statement very clearly ... until council has completed a comprehensive rating review it will NOT be making any changes to the rates system.

In the draft LTP there is a proposal to change the rates system but no mention that a review had been carried out. This is one fact that I pointed out to council in my submission. My approach was that the promise to not make any changes until after a rates review was carried out was part of the adopted annual plan and therefore should be set in concrete.

Within one year of adopting the annual plan, council is going back on its word. However, council has listened to my submission and now made a change ... it simply changed the wording in the final plan to now state that a "comprehensive funding and rating review" had been done.

There is no way this council has carried out a comprehensive review of the rating system. I know what a comprehensive review entails and I could name dozens of issues that should be looked at if you are doing a proper comprehensive review.

Councils which govern with integrity and high moral values should not act in that way.

Bill Harris is a former rates manager for the WDC.