Waimea dam

Ratepayers owe thanks to eight Tasman district councillors who acted with probity and voted against the Waimea community dam. Tasman ratepayers are spared the very real risk of a bankrupt council.

It is incumbent on councillors who voted for the dam to resign. Those councillors demonstrated – in the face of an overwhelmingly negative financial model – intent to recklessly continue down the road of unsustainable debt and knowingly expose ratepayers to open-ended funding liabilities.

Councillors may sincerely believe in the necessity for a dam, but their inability to comprehend the financial implications to the wider community calls into question their competence, and their ability to impartially represent ratepayers’ interests.

It is patently obvious that the ratepayer base of a large district like Tasman is insufficient to fund projects of this size. Central Government must come to the party, at least on an equal basis, and the balance should fall on those ratepayers who directly benefit in strict proportion, ie user-pays. Should a binding referendum permit council to proceed, staff should devote their energies to making a case to central Government via Local Government NZ. The ‘‘Three Waters’’ review, scheduled later this year, is a good place to start.

G M Waring

Richmond, August 28