Letters: Rotorua District Lakes Council needs to stick to budgets; rubbish dump fees

Rotorua council needs to stick to budgets, a reader says.

The Rotorua District Lakes Council has to stop living by William Feather's motto: "A budget tells what we can't afford, but it doesn't keep us from buying it."

On May 26, 2018 the Rotorua Daily Post headline was "Hemo Gorge roundabout sculpture faces hurdle but $500,000 price tag unchanged". Now it has finally been revealed that the "true cost" of the sculpture is a whopping $743,000.

The original contribution was supposed to be NZTA $200,000, RLDC Arts Budget $150,000, Te Puia $50,000 with $100,000 sought by various community and arts trusts, or private individuals who would like to contribute.

Now the ratepayers have to cough up $388,000, that's 2.59 times the original $150,000.

The council should be abiding by Joni Ernst's saying: "It's time to stop spending money we don't have and balance the budget."

Every action causes a reaction and it's time to take action against over the consistent budget overruns by this council.

Vote for change, so history doesn't repeat. (Abridged)

Tracey McLeod
Lake Tarawera

Dump fees

I took some general rubbish to the dump on a small flat-deck truck and was charged what would amount to $1120.00 per tonne - $45 to drop 40kg.

The attendant wouldn't move on the charge yet he would have seen the two thirds full wool fadge tied down on the deck as I went past. I stopped on the weighbridge and called out general rubbish. When I came down again, I stopped on the exit weighbridge, and that's when I got this high charge.

A total of $45 to dump 40kg.

The docket showed the in weight, the tare weight and the net weight of 40kg. The attendant had no room for discretion. What the boss says goes. (Abridged)

Rod Petterson
Rotorua

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