No rates paid for Sugarloaf: cttee asks why

Press, 17 February 1978, Page 4

No rates paid for Sugarloaf: cttee asks why

: A Heathcote County Coun-i cil committee wants to know; why the Broadcasting Cor-i poration of New Zealand is 1 not paying this year's rates '■ of $3196 on Sugarloaf. The property has been removed from the Valuation; Department’s roll, and hence! cannot be legally levied fori rates, according to the Minister of Broadcasting (Mr, Templeton). “I suggest we take this to} our solicitor, and find how; the Sugarloaf came to be removed from the roll, and make the appropriate steps' to get it relisted,” said the county chairman (Mr J. M. McKenzie). Mr Templeton said in a letter that the Crown Law Office had advised the cor-} poration that it could not; properly pay a rate when the property did not appear on the Valuation Roll as a rateable property. Schoo! grant One-hundred dollars led to} a sharp altercation between councillors. The meeting was discussing a grant of $lOO to the Cashmere School when Mr McKenzie cautioned the com-; mittee against whittling away, at council funds. Cr J. Richardson said that $llO was unallocated in this year's budget. Mr McKenzieasked for substantiation of this, but council officers were unable to provide immediate information. Mr McKenzie said he! would not vote on the issue.! “That exonerates me if any} problems arise with the Audit Department,” he said.| (The Audit Department is looking at the problem of the j council’s excess of expend!-1 ture over income.) The $lOO might be unallocated on the grants and subscriptions fund, but that fund | might be in credit and the total budget overspent, Mr! McKenzie said. It was ratepavers’ money at stake. He and the committee chairman (Cr R. H. T. :

Thompson) abstained from voting while the committee ; passed a resolution to pay 'the $lOO or whatever balance remained in the fund, and to look at the matter at estimates time. ; The committee then spent} {more than an hour finding} 'clerical methods of ensuring! that spending fell within} i authorised limits. Road tunnel The finance committee ( wants the Lyttelton Road Tunnel made part of the State highway system. The increased tunnel toll} was laid on the locality,; where it should be nationally shared, said Cr B. K. Roberts. The committee wants the county representative on the Road Tunnel Authority to 1 move that the tunnel become part of the State highway system. It also wants the ! Minister of Works and | Development (Mr W. L. : Young) advised of the coinImittee’s stance. Library set-back The council’s plans to use the old Cashmere Police Sta- } tion as a county library have been quashed by news that} the Police Department intends to retain the building. The council’s finance committee will write to the 1 , Christchurch City Council’s ' cultural committee seeking use of the Canterbury Public ' Library on a similar cost '{basis as city users.