Roger Gordon: Not time yet for rates rise

The consideration of the Rotorua District Council's draft Annual Plan is always an exercise that consumes a considerable amount of time.
It is a process made easier by having conducted a similar exercise for the past seven years and it is interesting how many of the same issues keep arising.
Our submission recognises the excellent work that Rotorua District Council has done in the last couple of years in furthering economic development and tourism promotion.
This is still very much a work in progress, but both have developed strong momentum.
I am also pleased to see the commitment to progress the urban design framework - another positive move forward.
There has been strong feedback from members about the pressure they are under in the current economic climate.
A very inconsistent economic recovery and the impact of the recent national and international disasters is having a noticeable affect.
Some of our workforce are still on four-day weeks and some are losing their jobs through redundancy and an increasing number of company closures.
Business, along with a large section of our population, is still finding the going extremely hard.
The basis of our submission was for a deferral of any rates rise until the recovery is more sustained.
We looked at how the annual budget could be trimmed - not so much through losing services, but through a different way of providing the service.
Embedded in the draft annual plan, there appear to be 12.7 new council positions. The chamber's position on increasing levels of council staffing is well known.
I don't have the scope within this article to include all our comments on staffing levels, but I will mention a couple.
Animal control expenditure continues to concern me.
Seven staff are employed in this area and, because its function is subsidised by the ratepayer by 42 per cent, there is a net cost to the ratepayer of $330,000. The draft annual plan proposes employing one more person as a pound keeper to meet increased demand for temporary housing of dogs.
I like dogs as much as the next person, but I can't see why the vast majority of ratepayers, who don't own dogs, have to pay for those who can't keep their dogs under control.
I suggest we maintain the same registration fees, but increase penalties for control violations so this service becomes user-pays.
Part of the rationale for increasing Castlecorp staffing is for higher levels of service for central business district refuse collection.
The current level of service seems acceptable and I think our CBD is always very well presented.
Although I would support maintenance of current levels of service, I can't see the need to increase them. If there is a need for removal of bulk paper, cardboard and packaging, why not allow commercial companies to provide that service. This may not be at a cost.
Roger Gordon is chief executive of the Rotorua Chamber of Commerce