Catchment Board rates unchanged

Press, 18 May 1984, Page 3

Catchment Board rates unchanged

The North Canterbury Catchment Board has decided to hold its rates at the same level as last year, although there will be increases in some districts for works expenditure. A special meeting of the board yesterday approved estimates which would collect $1.9 million for the administrative division.

Ratepayers in the Lake Ellesmere drainage district will face a 70 per cent rise in rates for works, and those in the Waimakariri, Eyre, Cust district will have to pay 20 per cent more for works. The Chief Executive officer, Mr E. R. Wood, said that although the basic rates would remain the same, proposed expenditure had risen by 23 per cent. This expenditure, included a balance of $562,676 brought forward from last year, accrued through less expenditure, a large Government grant for water allocation planning, and the wage freeze. Of the balance, $150,000 would be retained as a cushion for the administrative account.

The board’s new “user pays” policy for water right applications would take up a significant share of administration investigation and supervision costs.

Cost recoveries in this area would bring in $169,000 to the board, compared with the $lB,OOO estimated last, year.

New items of expenditure included a new computer, which cost $235,000. This year $145,000 would be paid, with the balance being spread over the next five years. Mr O. J. Osborne said that he could not understand why the board did not pay the whole computer off at once, but Mr Wood said it would be better to keep the credit balance at $150,000 to help pay overdraft levies and to act as a cushion.

Dr A. J. Sutherland asked if the Rakaia River draft conservation order appeal would be taken into account in the estimates.

“We are going to have to front up at the appeal and that will take up a lot of staff time,” he said. Mr Wood said that the appeal was just “one of those things,” and had to be accounted for.

He said the Planning Tribunal hearing would no doubt take up more time than the National Water and Soil Conservation Order’s hearing. The reason for the 70 per cent rise in rates for the Ellesmere district was due to the high cost involved in two of the three lake openings last year, said the operations manage, Mr B. P. Dwyer. The difficult openings had resulted in an over expenditure of $50,000, he said.

In view of the deficit, the rates had to increase for the next year, said Mr Dwyer.

Mr Osborne, who represents Ellesmere, said that it was just a fact which the ratepayers had to face. “If they want to continue farming there, they will have to pay those rates. It is very hard to farm land which is under water,” he said.

Mr Dwyer said that one contributing factor was the Government subsidy which had fallen from 66 per cent to 50 per cent. Mr Osborne suggested the board made a special case of the high cost of rates due to the lake openings.

Mr R. D. Gould said that there were too many people who used Lake Ellesmere for recreation who did not have to pay rates. “It is getting too big a burden for the farmers,” he said.

The 20 per cent rise in rates for the Waimakariri rating district was largely due to major works on the north bank, which would extend over two years. This year $200,000 has been set aside for the work and total cost to the board is expected to be $500,000 after Government subsidies. Other rate rises in the board’s works district are: Ashley River 10.7 per cent; Sefton-Ashley district 5.1 per cent; Halswell River drainage district 5.1 per cent; Selwyn River district 5.5 per cent, and the Lower Hurunui River 5.9 per cent.