Rates and water get residents fired up
Issues aired at Ratepayers Assoc meeting
Topics including increased rates and the local water situation were discussed at a formal meeting of the Dannevirke Ratepayers and Residents Association at The Hub on Thursday, March 31.
After the introduction of its executive and committee, chairman Craig Ellmers outlined the way forward for the organisation: becoming registered as part of the national body, doing other legal requirements, gaining members and consequently some finance from memberships ($10/year).
Membership forms were available to be filled, in but payment was not possible until a bank account could be registered.
Then followed a brief summary of what the executive had achieved, including information related to the town water supply.
Craig explained he did not want the association to become a vigilante organisation, but rather one that worked with the Tararua District Council to help it function better.
He then opened the floor for issues concerning residents and a discussion was held on a variety of subjects for more than an hour.
Many speakers were passionate, particularly about the 11.37 per cent proposed increase in rates for 2022-23.
Some questioned where the money was going to go, and several were concerned about their ability to pay the increase. Others could not see the benefits of recent rate increases calculated over the past five years, citing the cancellation of free rubbish collection as an example.
The other major topic was the water situation in Dannevirke. A number questioned the supply of water and several newer residents said they would contemplate leaving if the water issue was not resolved.
Complaints about the inability to get straight answers from the council led to a general discussion about staffing losses and the restructuring of the council.
The chairman concluded the meeting with a statement that the Dannevirke Ratepayers and Residents Association “was here for the long haul” and begged those present to bring along others to boost the strength of it at the next meeting. ● “These are all matters that have already been raised with council in various forums and been addressed over the past 14 months,” Tararua District Council chief executive Bryan Nicholson said.
“Information about the rates increase is widely available through our Annual Plan engagement documents. The free rubbish collection service was removed many years ago,” he said.
“Over five hours were spent answering questions submitted to the Dannevirke Community Board on the rail pipe and Dannevirke impounded supply which were treated as official information requests. All council documents are generally public information and council remains committed to transparency.”