The Local Body Rates Heist thread

[nztx]

Palmerston North CC eyes their local captive Ratepayers for a further series of Rates ATM Raids


https://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/palmer...M3WQV643T3A6Q/


Palmerston North ratepayers could face $1000 annual bill for new sewage treatment system

Every ratepayer in Palmerston North could face an annual bill of at least $1000 for 30 years to fund a new sewage treatment system.

It is a situation that could be repeated across New Zealand as councils are warned there are no more free lunches when it comes to water.

A nice 30 year heist of the ratepayer's hard earned - isn't it ?

[Daytr]

Palmerston North CC eyes their local captive Ratepayers for a further series of Rates ATM Raids


https://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/palmer...M3WQV643T3A6Q/


Palmerston North ratepayers could face $1000 annual bill for new sewage treatment system






A nice 30 year heist of the ratepayer's hard earned - isn't it ?

Yep it's the same here. New sewerage plant and the addional cost to be connected is around $1K plus there was an initial joining fee.

But how else will this be paid for?
I recommend that there be a radial pattern out from the town center so those not connected but using the town as their service center paid something. I worked out that if those not connected in the area contributed $100 per year, it would halve the amount paid by those connected.

The Mayor at the time said it was a great idea but of course nothing came of it.

[nztx]

https://www.rnz.co.nz/news/national/...rates-increase

Hastings homeowners may face 25% rates increase

Hastings homeowners may be hit with a 25 percent rates rise as the city grapples with how to pay for the huge amount of cyclone recovery work still ahead.

Hastings District Council will on Thursday consider the rates hike as part of its draft long-term plan.

The draft plan is proposing 8 percent of the increase is targeted to cyclone recovery and 17 percent to core services, such as maintaining existing roading and invest in infrastructure.

"It is very much an infrastructure-based budget," mayor Sandra Hazlehurst told Morning Report.

"What we've spent in the last year is close to $155 million just in the response and road repairs.

"In addition to that we had the category three voluntary buyout, which is $50 million, and on top of that, we need around $170 million to continue with our transport rebuild."

Hazlehurst said the council was hoping for more funding from the government to help the recovery.

The way this Council Empire is portraying things - many might wonder if they are trying to say that EVERY Road & Bridge got washed out or damaged in the Cyclone.

Definitely not the case however - it's been okay for this Council to apply increase after increase each year to Rates pillaging Ratepayer's pockets repeatedly, then come screaming when a lot of their infrastructure suddenly failed out of one event. To have so many failures begs the question - if the infrastructure was old, nearing end of it's life or so badly maintained to all fail at once, then what was being done in previous years to 'bridge the gap' and provide for what they should have been well aware needed doing ?

Of course many of the repairs & replacements will be substantially funded by Government Grants, but still we see references to - for example 37% increases for bridge replacements.

Local businesses are screaming for the work & some laying off staff that produce product for these sort of large projects right now.

Not a good showing for HDC

Let's face it HDC is only up for a small % of cost after grants for many of these large projects,

Clearly it would appear that the Council may or may not have been asleep at the wheel for what is being seen and trying to heap 25% rates increases on captive Ratepayers being treated as ATM's in harder times in a district that has suffered greatly in parts huge economic damage.

Not really good enough - from the Hastings Council to suddenly wake up to aftermath of a disaster and try to offload huge increases on ratepayers to get the Council out the hole that it has most likely dug for itself

How much 3 Waters Loot got sucked up by HDC under that failed Labour Govt initiative ?

Where did it go - or was it frittered away on wasteful insignificant projects like there was no tomorrow ?


Knowing of the areas affected & an idea of infrastructure affected out of a 1 in 50 or 100 year event, it would appear that Hastings was not in many localities impacted at all badly, and fared reasonably well.

And yet this sees necessity from HDC Local Body Empire inspiring hungry 25% Hikes in recessionary times.

I would sincerely hate to see what a more intensive damaging event would in turn see from HDC.
The cost recoveries based on current rate & cost increases proposed - if there was a larger event with large scale damage would likely suffocate and near on bankrupt all the district completely based on HDC's increases formulae and propensity to try to recover all in just a 2-3 year period


It's time that the cosy cluster of Local Body fifedoms up & down the country were all put under microscope and subject to more intensive regulation, so they are performing and delivering for their stakeholders efficiently & effectively - that is ratepayers; and future projects or replacements see more care & precision planning to ensure that regions don't have large scale failures, then see the cost dumped in huge wads on ratepayers under any old sort of excuse.

Not unreasonable is it ?


The Mayor (having been in Accounting firm employ some years back and with involvement with business) would or should be well aware that dropping the cost of this sort of shambles in one huge hit on the captive Ratepayer being treated as the Council's ATM's for the stripping, is a very poor showing & far from good enough

[nztx]

https://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/hamilt...BFMKQ62EFGAHU/

Hamilton Māori Ward councillor Melaina Huaki quit after questions about regular absences



Hamilton Folks - look at what your Rate Hikes are paying for

How many thousands for talent pieces to be on semi-holiday ...

Must be lots more of this sort of rort going on up and down the country