Bull ignores her own councillors' calls for rethink on rates

By BERNARD ORSMAN

Auckland Regional Council chairwoman Gwen Bull is digging in her heels over the rates revolt by ignoring calls from her own councillors, the North Shore City Council and ratepayer groups to hold an emergency meeting on the issue.

Four ARC councillors yesterday wrote to Mrs Bull and asked her to convene an urgent council meeting to discuss the financial and political implications of the rates revolt.

This followed earlier calls from the North Shore council and Glenfield Ratepayers & Residents Association to hold a special meeting.

ARC councillors Mike Lee, Brian Smith, Paul Walbran and Sandra Coney sent a letter to Mrs Bull in Queenstown where she has spent four days attending the Local Government New Zealand conference.

Two other councillors who voted for the controversial rating system, deputy-chairman Philip Sherry and Dianne Glenn, have also been in Queenstown at ratepayers' expense.

Mrs Bull's husband, Colin, also attended at his expense.

The letter said councillors needed to be given advice on options available to the ARC to provide relief to residential ratepayers who feel they were being asked to pay a disproportionate share of the rates rise.

The councillors wanted legal advice on the Local Government (Rating) Act 2002 which enabled local authorities to "set rates again" on a number of grounds, including "a relevant change in circumstances".

"We would suggest that the current rates revolt, if it persists, is likely to have serious financial consequences for the council and therefore we strongly urge you to take steps to deal with this crisis now before future actions may be forced upon the council," the letter said.

Mrs Bull yesterday refused to discuss the letter with the Herald, said "sorry, end of the conversation", and hung up the telephone.

She has organised an informal meeting of councillors today to discuss the crisis before flying to Sydney next week to see how councils there deal with growth issues. She will be accompanied by councillor Ian Bradley, who chairs the strategic policy committee, and who voted for the rating system.

Mr Walbran said he would like legal advice on whether the ARC could reset the rates.

"Subject to it being legal, practical and fair I would like to do so. This is a democracy and you have actually got to be guided by where people are at. Good progress is never made by imposing things from above."

The next meeting of the council is on August 25.

Meanwhile, North Shore councillor Andrew Williams said ratepayers who were uncomfortable with paying their ARC rates in 10 instalments over 10 months by direct debit could pay by direct credit to stop the ARC having access to their bank accounts.

Mr Williams said he had organised to pay his rates in 10 instalments by internet banking, "which I can cancel at any time if the ARC do not review the whole rating system".

RATES DEMANS

What to do when your rates land

* You have four weeks from the date of invoice to pay your rates. Payments can be made by cheque in a reply-paid envelope, via internet or telephone banking or at the ARC main office in Pitt St, NZ Post or Books & More outlets.

* You can also organise direct debits in a lump sum or over 10 payments on a monthly basis.

* The ARC is offering a 2.5 per cent discount for early payment within two weeks of the date of the invoice.

Late payment penalty

* A 10 per cent penalty will be applied on all rates unpaid on the due date. If the debt is not paid off by the end of the rating year, an additional 10 per cent will be incurred at the start of the next rating year (July 2004). A further 10 per cent penalty will be incurred every six months after July 2004.

* In extreme cases, the ARC has the power to go to court and seek a mortgagee sale of your home to recover unpaid debts.

How to calculate your ARC rates bill

Click on related links (below).

Click on Estimated ARC Rates for any address.

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