Angry reaction to levy suggestion

Press, 22 May 1986, Page 19

Angry reaction to levy suggestion

Kaiapoi Borough councillors have reacted angrily to a suggestion that Kaiapoi ratepayers should be levied for Christchurch Transport Board services. The Canterbury United Council is looking into the idea of funding the Christchurch Transport Board by bringing in areas of the Urban Transport Region that do not pay rates to the board.

At present only residents of Christchurch City, Waimairi District, Riccarton Borough, Heathcote County, and Paparua County pay Transport Board rates. The board attempts to make up for not collecting rates from outlying areas by charging double fares. The Mayor of Kaiapoi, Mr Howard Cumberland, told a council meeting on Monday that if the United Council’s proposal went ahead, Kaiapoi ratepayers could expect to pay between $BO and $9O.

It was not too early to tell the United council that extra burden on ratepayers would be fought “especially when this council has no direct link with the type or frequency of Christchurch Transport Board activity in the borough,” he said. Cr Bert Empson said the proposal should be fought because the Transport Board had said that

services to Kaiapoi had been running at a profit Cr Jim Bryden said that it was the inadequacies of the Christchurch Transport Board which were causing the problem.

The council decided to express its opposition to the proposal and to request from the Christchurch Transport Board details of the loading, costs, and profits of Kaiapoi services. Services

The council has threatened to review its provision of secretarial service for the North Canterbury Community Arts Council because other councils have been reluctant to contribute. In the last financial year the secretarial services cost the Kaiapoi Borough Council about $3OOO. Payments amount-

ing to $986 had been received from Cheviot, Hurunui and Amur! counties.

Councils which had declined to contribute were those of Rangiora District, Oxford County, Eyre County, and Rangiora Borough. A letter from the Eyre County Council questioned the expense of the secretarial services and suggested that the Queen Elizabeth II Arts Council be asked for a contribution.

The Rangiora Borough Council also. suggested asking the Queen Elizabeth II Arts Council to assist, but said that if such an application was unsuccessful, the council would contribute its share.

The Rangiora District Council said that it was concerned about the late request for financial

assistance, and that no provision for a contribution had been made in this year's estimates. “It is of concern that some of the authorities whose districts receive much greater benefit than Kaiapoi does from the Arts Council are not prepared to meet any of the associated costs. In effect, the ratepayers of Kaiapoi are subsidising those other areas,” said the Kaiapoi Town Clerk, Mr Gary Saunders, in his report

The council decided to ask Rangiora Borough for its contribution again, request that other councils make allowance for a contribution in their estimates, and tell the Arts Council that if no assistance was forthcoming Kaiapoi would be reluctant to continue providing secretarial services.