Most submitters oppose Central Hawke's Bay district-wide water rating plan

Most of the day was set aside yesterday for the CHB District Council's long term plan hearings held at the CHB Municipal Theatre. Photo/Nicki Harper

Displeasure at a proposal to impose a district-wide rate to pay for water and wastewater infrastructure dominated proceedings at the Central Hawke's Bay District Council Long-Term Plan hearings yesterday.

A total of 282 submissions were received on the plan that, among other proposals, suggested all district ratepayers contribute 5 per cent of the rates funding requirements for water and wastewater regardless of whether they are connected to water supplies or not.

Although a number of people supported the move, most submitted against it and several turned up to express their views.

Ongaonga resident Carl Oliver said he had his own water tank and upgraded his water pump this year without coming to the council for financial support.

"It's up to me and my family to maintain the health of our water – and we have to pay for our services – we believe in user pays."

Michael Harrison, of Tikokino, said many residents there were on fixed or low incomes and paid for their own drinking water and sewerage costs.

He said a septic tank cost $15,000 to $20,000 and $130 a year to maintain. The cost of getting in drinking water was about $5000 and it cost $18,000 to put in a bore to access water.

"All of these costs are borne by the residents – how would Waipawa and Waipukurau residents feel about subsidising Ongaonga and Tikokino?"

Terry Hare said it was preposterous to charge people for a service they did not receive.
"You are asking urban ratepayers to leach off rural ratepayers."

Former mayor Peter Butler said he had promised when he stood down as mayor he would not come back and submit on everything.

"But when rural people began calling and visiting me I realised my duty as a politician had not ended.

"You will get it wrong if you expect townspeople and businesses that use sewage and water to be subsidised by the rural community.

"Rural ratepayers already pay the majority of rates through roading rates - town footpaths and streets are subsidised by them – rural ratepayers are not walking, talking automatic teller machines."

There were some, however, who supported the plan.

Di Petersen said overall she thought the plan was a prudent one and there was little option but to increase rates because the district's drinking and wastewater infrastructure was not up to standard.

"Although I'm unhappy at rate rises, the 5 per cent is necessary to help the district have safe, reliable drinking water and a working wastewater system."

Although he acknowledged it was a hard sell, submitter Trevor Le Lievre said the community needed to view itself as a whole not as urban and rural.

"I have many friends who live rurally but spend time in town using the facilities – I support the 5 per cent but you need to explain to ratepayers why it's necessary to do the catch-up work."

Other issues raised by submitters ranged from the need to be thinking longer term, to the hardship people in Porangahau were undergoing with the level of rate rises.

The council will consider the submissions on May 3 and expects to adopt the Long-Term Plan on May 31, although it legally has until June 30 to do so.