Council mergers hit

Press, 14 September 1976, Page 6

Council mergers hit

Proposed Government! legislation was “a prettv;! final slam of the door” onj Christchurch City Council hopes for effective local hod} reforms, Cr David Caygill said yesterday. Another Labour councillor, Sir Robert Macfarlane, said the legislation would leave New Zealand standing still — if not moving backward ■ —in reform measures. "We re going to be in a’ worse position. I think, than'

iwe’ve got now,” said Sir! (Robert. Proposed legislation would; make it easier for voters to opt out of amalgamation! schemes. It would also take! most ad hoc bodies out from! under Local Government Commission jurisdiction,! unless they requested such: jurisdiction. Cabinet Ministers in charge of specific ad) (hoc activities could also; request Local Government; 'Commission jurisdiction. I

i The Local Government; (Amendment Bill also seeks (repeal of a provision which! I would allow electors in aj local authority to request (community councils. It jwould replace that with sixmonthly public meetings (called by the electors. The council could face (problems under proposed (legislation on differential (rating, the General Manager and Town Clerk (Mr J. H. Gray) told the policy and finance committee.

Among other things, the 'Municipal Corporations ’Amendment Bill would i authorise councils to adopt (differential rating on all (rates, not just the general' Irate as under present law. However, the Christchurch council also collects rates (for the Drainage Board and (Transport Board, neither of (which would have the power to adopt differential rating. : Mr Gray ha- told the Department of Internal Affairs that the effectiveness of any council differential rating policy would be “seriously impaired” if new legislation applied only to rates actually levied by the council. Rates for ad hoc bodies are (almost 40 per cent of the (total collected. j If there were no change in I the bill, Christchurch would Ibe in a different position (from other metropolitan i local bodies whose transport land drainage functions do I not come under separate (boards. Separate amending bills may be necessary for the 'Christchurch ad hoc bodies, land they will be asked to ! have their rates taken into ■ account in differential ratling. Under another GovernIment proposal, local bodies J could change from the landlvalue rating system to either . annual or capital values by ,'special order. There would l'be a poll only if 15 per cent ’■of the ratepayers (6690 in ’(Christchurch) demanded one. ■ A council sub-committee . on differential rating — set (up because of a new council :: principle which supports (shifting the incidence of ratijing away from the single- ■ unit homeowner — expects Ito have a report ready by 'October. The sub-committee (is also studying the annual;value system. City rates are now deter‘mined on land value.