Ratepayers' Rights

Northern Advocate, 31 July 1939, Page 6

Ratepayers' Rights

HE stormwater loan poll taken in Whangarei on Wednesday last served to indicate that a considerable number ot ratepayers and ratepaying companies, partnerships and firms in Whangarei are either unaware of their rights and privileges in connection with a poll of ratepayers, or they are disinterested. To begin with, no property owner can exercise more than one vote, no matter how much property he or she may own, but every ratepayer has the right to have his wife, or her husband, as the case may be, entered on the ratepayers’ roll by virtue of the fact that he or she is the spouse of the ratepayer. The husband or wife who is not the ratepayer, however, can only secure enrolment on the ratepayers’ roll by making the necessary declaration in writing. There are literally hundreds of ratepayers who have not taken the trouble to secure this right for their spouses. Again, as no ratepayer can exercise more than one vote, a number of companies, firms, co-partners, societies and associaftions of persons were disfranchised at Wednesday’s poll because they did not take the trouble to nominate some person to be entered on the valuation roll as the normal occupier of the property jointly held, and to exercise voting rights for such company, firm, co-partners, etc. This is a serious omission on the part of joint property owners, and one that should be remedied immediately by those who wish to take part in governing the expenditure of a municipality. In the absence of the nomination of a person to exercise voting rights for a company or firm, etc., the name of the first partner or chairman or secretary of a company is automatically entered on the valuation roll as the nominal occupier of the property. Such person, no doubt, is already entitled to exercise the vote because of his or her own individual rights, and thus the company or partnership loses its vote. It is to be hoped that all individual ratepayers, companies, co-partners, firms, joint tenants, societies and associations will make the necessary investigation and take the necessary action to ensure that he, she or they, will not be disfranchised at any future poll of ratepayers in the borough.