Councils must support ratepayers during Covid’s uncertain times

WHILE we are on lockdown have your say.

Tell the Dunedin City Council to freeze rates and do the essential services only.

The DCC must support ratepayers and residents, business people, workers, farmers and commercial landlords and educational establishments.

The DCC must stop the rates rises; employing advisers, consultants and extra staff.

It must also stop the transport planning group before we completely change our streets and lose more car parks, planning for George St, the Octagon and the gonowhere cycle bridge and other fancy projects, leaving the final say to the chief executive and mayor, and the ORC’s Marian Hobbs; Julie Anne Genter’s (absolutely ridiculous) plan for temporary cycle tracks.

Keep Dunedin beautiful.

Bernice Armstrong

North East Valley

I AM sure I write on behalf of hundreds, or thousands, of ratepayers in Otago when I say that all current submissions, including closing dates on all relevant subjects, should be delayed until well after the Level 4 lockdown of our community is lifted and normal transmission resumes.

It seems to me that no important decisions should be taken by the Otago Regional Council while the lockdown continues as this would be tantamount to agreement by stealth?

Surely ratepayers must have the opportunity to be involved in all submissions and opportunity to respond, etc before any decisions are made.

For example, the proposed annual plan 202021, where submissions close on April 24, during lockdown.

We need good government on all the important issues like rabbit control, water issues, proposed new head office building for the ORC (renting is the best option), wilding pines, wallaby control, lagarosiphon issues including a monitoring buoy in Lake Dunstan.

In April 2018 I gave questions to all members of ORC at the time about lagarosiphon issues, but as usual I got no response.

The aims and objectives of ORC on its website are to ‘‘manage our environment’’, and ‘‘work with the community to ensure the sustainable use of our natural resources.’’

This surely must include any water issues and all pest control.

Many ratepayers are hurting out there so there should be no rate rises, certainly for the next 12 months.

Andrew Burton

Lowburn [Abridged] .................................

BIBLE READING: Behold,God is my salvation, I will trust and not be afraid. — Isaiah 12.2.