Whanganui District Council is introducing staggered increases for some ratepayers' stormwater charges.
Photo / Bevan Conley
Whanganui District Council is introducing staggered increases for some ratepayers' stormwater charges.
Photo / Bevan Conley
Whanganui district councillors have voted in favour of increasing rates for properties not connected to the city stormwater network.
In its long-term plan, the council proposed to increase the rates differential for properties that are in the serviceable area but are not connected to the network and have soak pitson site.
The proposed change reflects the fact soak pits are not able to buffer all stormwater because they have a limited capacity of about 250 litres.
The property owners have been paying 50 per cent of the rate charged to connected properties.
Council staff have observed overland flows on driveways, paths and other surfaced areas that end up in the stormwater system, whether there is a soak pit on the property or not.
Councillor Graham Young said he believed the proposed increases were fair.
"What we're talking about is extreme events when there are greater overflows," he said.
"Every ratepayer benefits from an improved stormwater system."
Councillor Alan Taylor said the increases would provide an incentive for property owners to connect to the network, and this would result in a healthier community because it would eliminate problems of stormwater lying under houses.
"The stormwater that falls on properties that are not connected eventually ends up in the system any way," Taylor said.
"It's really not just about collecting the money."
Vinsen voted against the motion to impose the increases.
New stormwater differential charges would help towards the cost of managing extraordinary events such as the floods that swamped the city in 2015.
Photo / Giles Conley
The council also proposed to amend the definition of a serviceable property to ensure properties in Tawhero that previously had rural zoning contribute to the stormwater system.
Magnolia Cres, and Simon and Morrell Sts were previously zoned rural lifestyle and properties were required to have soak pits because they were just outside the urban boundary.
A zoning change for the area means the properties now fall within the urban boundary and the council proposed the properties should now be treated the same way as others in the urban area.
Vinsen said he would support payment of 50 per cent from properties in the area but considered it "totally unreasonable" to charge a higher differential when they still did not have the option to fully connect to the stormwater network.
Deputy Mayor Jenny Duncan asked for clarification from chief financial officer Mike Fermor, who said although the properties did not have pipes connecting their properties, runoff water still went into the network.
Vinsen introduced a motion to cap the differential rate at 50 per cent, which was voted down.
A motion to introduce a 50 per cent increase in 2021-22 and raise it to 75 per cent in 2023 was passed, with Vinsen, Taylor and councillor Charlie Anderson voting against it.
The Fordell water supply and the Marybank wastewater system are connected to the city supply from 2021 and motions were passed to transfer ratepayers from both localities.
The council approved the removal of stormwater separation loans from its Funding Impact Statement because the loans were scheduled to be repaid by June 30 this year.
Mayor Hamish McDouall said several long-term plan submissions on water infrastructure expressed concerns about the implications of the Government's Three Waters Reform Programme.
"There were concerns expressed about the possible cross-subsidisation of other local authorities," he said.
McDouall said the council would have ratepayers' views "fully in mind" when making a decision on Three Waters later this year.
