GREEDY LANDLORDS
We had to close our doors to our Business last week due to our landlord putting our rent up by 120% and putting a list of unreasonable demands on us.
Like giving him and his staff a 50% discount, and doing major upgrades on his building.
The two years of hard work, seven days a week over 12 hours a day we turned the cafe´ into a destination and then goes and destroys our business for his greed, takes away jobs from locals and ruins what was becoming a great tourist destination.
I now ask myself after hearing similar stories of other Taupo business owners why anyone would want to do business in Taupo!
UNWISE DECISION ON WATER
I refer to the letter in the Taupo Times titled ‘‘Something in the water for Waitahanui’’ which was published on 14 June 2016. I recently presented a submission to Council on behalf of the Taupo Residents Group objecting to Council’s proposals on this matter.
I am writing this letter, on my own behalf, to inform the community on the background to council’s proposals. In addition, I write to applaud the stance taken by Councillors Jollands and Boddy who voted against the motion to proceed with the proposals.
TDC proposed extending the Taupo-Wairakei town water supply to Five Mile Bay and Waitahanui. A number of meetings were held with the residents of Waitahanui. There was fierce resistance by the residents to take up the offer to connect to the supply. One common theme was that they already have their own water supplies and refused outright to pay for water.
The cost of the scheme is around $3 million of which there is a Government grant of $1.942 million with the remaining $1.058 million being paid by TDC. In order to entice the Waitahanui property holders into joining the scheme, TDC proposed waiving the Capital Contribution required from the property holders of just A letter writer is questioning the wisdom of extending the town water supply to Waitahanui. over $500,000 in total and to pay for this by increasing the rates of the current users of the TaupoWairakei water supply. This of course means free water to Waitahanui to be paid for by the rest ofthe Taupo water users.
Five Mile Bay properties have been left out of this scheme for the time being and will ultimately be charged for their water supply when connected.
This whole proposal has been accepted by our Mayor and Councillors with the exception of councillors Jollands and Body. The proposal has set a dangerous precedent and from here on anyone joining Taupo’s water supply will be justified in resisting paying a capital contribution.
To further complicate matters, Council appears to not appreciate that if water is supplied to the Waitahanui properties gratis, it is unlikely to be taken up by the property owners as they will be required to pay a contractor to connect from the Toby to the house. Over and above this, as the property owners are unwilling to pay for their water they will likely not pay the annual water charge.
Will we see Council call on the Taupo Ratepayers to additionally fund the water connection fees and the unpaid annual water charges?
Our Mayor and Councillors, with the exception of Councillors Jollands and Boddy, have made an unwise decision regarding the Waitahanui water supply. We will all need to decide whether they have truly represented the interests of the wider community?