WDC mystery – Northern Advocate – 13th
June 2012.
What’s the increase?
This month was host to many
regions Long Term Plans. Having attended
both days (May 7 & 8) of submissions to the Northland Regional
Council (NRC) Long Term Plan 2012-2022
in Whangarei, plus all five days (May 14 to
18) to the Whangarei District Council (WDC) 2012-2022
Draft Long Term Plan submissions, my wife and I along with many others, made
our presentations both written and verbally to both councils.
We also attended NRC
deliberations on May 23 and WDC’s deliberations on Tuesday May 29. It was pleasing to see some winners in the
plans and there were also some less fortunate, having less or no funds or
facilities made available from these processes.
Compared to previous years that we had observed, councillors appeared
more accepting towards comments made during the verbal presentations.
A most important “process” point
to mention was the way that the NRC staff presented to their councillors and
the public present, throughout their deliberations. With the aid of a
whiteboard, columns displaying projects accepted and rejected, or those under
discussion, plus the effects, in both percentages and true dollar terms, on any
rate increases these decisions being made, had.
If the increase was too high or low, then changes to projects were duly
made and we came away knowing what to expect on next year’s NRC content on the
rates demand. Over the fence at WDC, the
white board was definitely there, but not used at all during the deliberations,
failing to show any effects on the rates as projects were struck. Actually
rates increases in “dollars to ratepayer’s terms” were not mentioned at all; so
guess we will have to just wait till the bill arrives in the mail.
Warren
Slater
Maunu