Council's 'culture of extravagance'

BY TASHA BLACK

Kapiti Coast District Council has a culture of extravagance that needs to be reigned in to prevent high rates increases, says mayoral candidate Chris Turver.

Mr Turver said if elected, he would pull back on spending by taking a stocktake of council projects.

Concerned rates will become unaffordable for people on fixed incomes, he wants the future council to assess what projects could be scaled down, spread over a longer time frame, deferred or stopped.

Some core projects, such as an alternative water supply, are essential, but the council should not say yes to everything.

He would defer some plans, "so that payment doesn't come all at the same time" and would consider a referendum about council plans to speed up the consultation process.

Ultimately the council would make the final decisions but he wanted to put it to ratepayers to see what services they wanted the council to provide.

He would not stop rate increases but would limit the current projected increases, which he said were beyond ratepayer affordability.

Kapiti's rate increase for 2010/11 was almost 7 per cent, down from the 10 per cent originally predicted in the long-term council community plan 2009 to 2019.

The average rates forecast increase for Kapiti from 2011/12 to 2018/19 is almost 7 per cent, peaking at around 10 per cent in 2012/13 and at a low of just over 2 per cent in 2018/19.

Over the same eight-year period Porirua will average an almost 4 per cent increase and Wellington is forecast to average about a 2 per cent increase.

Former auditor-general Brian Tyler, who now lives in Waikanae, told the Kapiti Observer in May last year the increases were excessive.

He made a submission to the council saying council developments, including the aquatic centre, were too ambitious and the rate increases were "beyond the level of ratepayer affordability".

According to the KCDC's long-term plan, the increases over the next two years are driven by road projects, stormwater upgrades, the aquatic centre, coastal protection and upgrading town centres.

The average rates for 2009/10 were 4 per cent of average weekly household expenditure, and for a household reliant on superannuation it was 8 per cent.

Due to council debt, Mr Turver admitted it would be a challenge to lower rates.

"To a point you're stuck," he said.

Mr Turver is not alone in his concern over the forecast rate increases.

District-wide council candidate Don Briggs said he wanted the council to ask itself how it was going to pay before undertaking any new projects.

He said increasing rates was opposite to the solution.

"Council must urgently be brought back to serving the needs of those who live here and who pay the rates and are hurting so badly.

"What is growth if we have to increase the rates to get it?"

Incumbent Mayor Jenny Rowan, who is also in the mayoral race, said rates were struck after a lengthy consultation process and by cutting rates the council would be unable to deliver what the community asks for.

"We are the fastest-growing area in the Wellington region and still catching up on essential infrastructure."

She said rates were reviewed each year.

"I think we do extremely well, given the catch-up we have to do."

Ms Rowan said the council was constantly concerned by the level of debt and they were addressing the issue seriously and had already trimmed $25m from the capital expenditure budget.

Council did not respond at the time of press.

- Kapiti Observer