The council wants the central government to work alongside local government to design a "more effective model, with better outcomes for the whole community", as proposed by local government action group Communities for Local Democracy (C4LD) of which Waipā is a member.
Should the Bill not be withdrawn, the council called on the Government to make changes including ensuring land developers and customers are explicitly noted in legislation, guaranteed regional representation and advice, establishing a community forum and enabling a rebate scheme for lower-income households.
Waipā mayor Jim Mylchreest will present the submission to the select committee in the coming months.
Local government association Local Government New Zealand (LGNZ) also made a submission to the select committee calling for a phased transition.
The association asks the government to consider delaying the transition of stormwater services to the four entities meaning it could be just a two waters reform.
LGNZ president Stuart Crosby says the association suggests to leave out the stormwater transition for now, since the reform for this was underdeveloped and the impacts uncertain.
"Stormwater is more complex than the other two waters because it's intertwined with a lot of other council functions like flood and drainage management, roading, parks and greenspace.
"There's merit in drinking and wastewater transiting first, with stormwater waiting till the [Four entities] are up and running and resource management reform is implemented."
He says the success of the three waters reform could be put at risk if it isn't implemented in a way that works for councils and local communities.
"While there are a range of views in the sector about the model itself, our submission is focused on pragmatic solutions to the model in front of us... because we know if the reforms don't go through now, it'll be back in the political too hard basket."
HCC cannot support Three Waters Reform
Meanwhile, HCC endorsed its submission to the select committee last week, saying it cannot support the reform. The council took on board feedback from the community for its submission.
The submission noted HCC's strong opposition to the four-entity model and the concerns it previously raised around community consultation, local voice in representation arrangements and rights of ownership, as well as placemaking and alignment with other government reforms.
The tight timeframes between the legislation being available and the closing date for submissions to the select committee meant the council's consultation period was restricted to two weeks, but more than 1200 Hamiltonians shared their views.
HCC's submission included this tight consultation process, saying it "clearly showed community concern over loss of local voice, insufficient financial detail and the loss of ownership and decision-making rights over its Three Waters assets and services."
The council's submission also highlighted the Government's short target timeframes to complete the transition by July 2024, saying the proposed establishment date "appears unrealistic".
"A poor or fractured transition presents significant risk to Council, the quality of our water services delivery, and the wellbeing of our ratepayers and staff. Government is yet to provide sufficient evidence of a structured and achievable pathway to transition," the submission states.
Additionally, HCC's submission raised concerns about a lack of guaranteed representation for Hamilton on the new entities and the risk this poses for the strategic planning of water services to support Hamiltonians.
The select committee is expected to report back to Parliament by November.
