West Coast Regional Rates Rise 12 Percent – But Wait There's More

Scoop

6 days ago

The West Coast Regional Council has approved a budget for the year that will see its general rate take rise by 12 per cent.
But additional levies for Civil Defence and the new Tai o Poutini District Plan will boost many rate bills higher.
The council adopted its 2025-2026 Annual Plan at a special meeting in Greymouth this morning. (Tues 24/6).
The financial statements show the council will collect $14.3 million from the region's ratepayers this year, slightly less than the amount it allowed for in the Long Term Plan.
Chair Peter Haddock says the council is not yet in a position to start repaying debt, but is now living within its budget and expects to return a surplus in two years' time.
'We inherited a shambles when we came in, and we were flying blind with the finances, but we now have a great corporate team and we are on track to get back into the black.'
Discussion about how rate increases are presented to the public became heated when Cr Allan Birchfield queried the figure of 12 percent.
If the increased levies for Civil Defence and the region's combined One Plan were factored in, the true rate rise would be 18.92 percent, and he would vote against it, he said.
Council chief Executive Darryl Lew said the rationale for not including those charges in calculating the regional rate rise was that they were targeted rates.
These were levied by the Regional Council on behalf of the District Councils and were separated out to make that transparent, he said.
'You wanted your vote recorded against the LTP (long-term plan) and it's not surprising that you are voting against this today because we're in line with the LTP that the rest of your colleagues voted for.'
Cr Birchfield confirmed he did not agree with the LTP.
The chair said he understood why.
'We had eight, long, hard workshops, went through with staff all the funding that was required to get this organisation back on track. It was a decimated sort of business when we came in here.
'We worked really hard and you chose not to attend any of those meetings; it was an insult to your fellow councillors and a bit of a kick on the guts for the ratepayers actually.'
There had been only 25 submissions to the LTP and the council had heard them all, Mr Haddock said.
'You did not attend any of those and then you voted against it … and I find it offensive that you keep bringing it up.'
Speaking later, Cr Birchfield said he had not attended the workshops because he had previously been censured and kicked off many council committees, and was tired of turning up and being told to leave.
'The point I was trying to make was that it's misleading to talk about an increase of 12 percent when it's a lot more than that when you add on the TTPP [Tai o Poutini District Plan] and Civil Defence charges.'
The council's Corporate Service manager Peter Miller told LDR that ratepayers should not expect an exact 12 per cent hike on their invoices.
'That's the increase in dollars required for Council to deliver its back to basic services to the community at cost. The percentage increase or decrease for ratepayers depends on any change in their property valuation.'
The increase in the TTPP levy reflected the growing cost of writing the new plan ordered by the government, Mr Miller said.
"As costs have now become clearer with an expected increase in the loan associated with the TTPP work, Council is now passing on these costs to the recipients of this work, the community.
For 2025/2026, the Council needed to raise $642,810 from the targeted TTPP rate.
'Council recognises this is a significant increase compared to 2023/2024 when costs were estimated at that stage,' Mr Miller said.
Costs associated with emergency management had gone up as well, to cover an additional staff position and overheads.
'We recognise we need to do more to ensure community welfare and recovery from an event. "Consequently our costs associated with emergency management are increasing 25% for 2025/2026.'
Other targeted rates were as agreed with the rating district committees for flood protection schemes.
The council agreed to stick with the rate of $150,000 agreed with the joint Franz Josef rating district committee, despite new information, showing that maintenance and regular inspections of the town's new floodwalls would cost $262,487 for the year.
The additional funds would have to come from the districts prudent reserve, and the rate would have to be increased in the next financial year, the council agreed.