West Coast ratepayers kept in dark over rates increase
By local democracy reporter Brendon McMahon:
Ratepayers are being kept in the dark over whether the West Coast Regional Council will ping them with a large rates increase this year.
The council is expected to release its consultation document for its 2024-34 long-term plan (LTP) in March, which will outline the rates plan for 2024-25.
However, it won't say what increase it's looking at.
The council has been meeting behind closed doors since March 2023 in a series of eight workshops for the LTP.
The Ombudsman last year called for councils to open workshops by default after an investigation found the public was being shut out of some meetings without valid reason.
The council's finalised plan will include projected annual rates for the life of the plan.
In 2023, the council passed a 16.4% rates increase, although a Civil Defence levy doubled for all ratepayers at the time. Ratepayers living in special rating districts, like the Greymouth Floodwall area, were also hit with large increases above ordinary rates.
At the time, Risk and Assurance Committee chairperson Frank Dooley, an accountant, was the sole voice of dissent.
He said the rates hike needed to be much higher after years of relatively low increases and a deficit in council resources.
But Dooley declined this week to say what the projected rates increase might be in 2024-25.
He said the council was due to have another LTP workshop late this month, following which the public consultation document release in March would be settled.
This was pending the outcome of a compulsory audit of the LTP document.
Dooley said council had filed its draft LTP for audit by January 8.
"Council met that deadline. We're waiting on the audit process to go through."
Dooley said there may be a delay in the LTP draft going out for consultation depending on the need for any amendments. If that were the case, then the draft would need to go back to the auditor - although no amendments were foreseen at this stage.
Poll: Would you rather: Christmas in summer forever or winter forever?
Just a bit of a fun poll to get you thinking.
If you had to live out your Christmas days, would you prefer it was a summer Christmas or a winter Christmas?
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62.3% Summer
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36.3% Winter
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1.4% Other - I'll share below
⚠️ DOGS DIE IN HOT CARS. If you love them, don't leave them. ⚠️
It's a message we share time and time again, and this year, we're calling on you to help us spread that message further.
Did you know that calls to SPCA about dogs left inside hot cars made up a whopping 11% of all welfare calls last summer? This is a completely preventable issue, and one which is causing hundreds of dogs (often loved pets) to suffer.
Here are some quick facts to share with the dog owners in your life:
👉 The temperature inside a car can heat to over 50°C in less than 15 minutes.
👉 Parking in the shade and cracking windows does little to help on a warm day. Dogs rely on panting to keep cool, which they can't do in a hot car.
👉 This puts dogs at a high risk of heatstroke - a serious condition for dogs, with a mortality rate between 39%-50%.
👉 It is an offence under the Animal Welfare Act to leave a dog in a hot vehicle if they are showing signs of heat stress. You can be fined, and prosecuted.
SPCA has created downloadable resources to help you spread the message even further. Posters, a flyer, and a social media tile can be downloaded from our website here: www.spca.nz...
We encourage you to use these - and ask your local businesses to display the posters if they can. Flyers can be kept in your car and handed out as needed.
This is a community problem, and one we cannot solve alone. Help us to prevent more tragedies this summer by sharing this post.
On behalf of the animals - thank you ❤️
Best way to use leftovers?
I'm sure you've got some excess ham at home or cold roast potatoes.
What are some of your favourite ways to use leftover food from Christmas day? Share below.
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