FARM LAND RATING

Te Awamutu Courier, Volume 59, Issue 4220, 6 December 1939, Page 7

FARM LAND RATING

WITHIN THE BOROUGH. COUNCIL PROCEEDS CAUTIOUSLY. Te Awamutu Borough Council, on Monday evening, had before it two applications for a change in the basis of rating of certain properties that it was claimed are farm lands, and therefore entitled to a lowered rate levy. Mr R. C. Judd attended in support of Mr J. C. Montefiore’s application to have 124 acres of his land in the borough treated for rating purposes as urban land. It was asked in the application that Mr W. Gordon be asked to value the land while he is in Te Awamutu on Government valuation Department business. The Mayor said certain other lands in the borough were treated as urban lands. At Hamilton a farm-lands list had been prepared, and Te Awamutu could follow that lead. As an alternative, a valuer could be engaged to advise the Council as to what would be fair value. The Council would be within its rights to declare certain blocks to be urban land.

It was proposed to ask the Valuation Department to permit Mi’ Gordon to act as valuer.

Cr Spiers wanted the matter referred to the Finance Committee for investigation, and an opinion obtained from the borough solicitor. The Mayor pointed out that the Council had already declared the area to be rural lands. Each application should be treated on its merits. The Council could arrive at a fair valuation on its own, but he preferred getting the opinion of an experienced valuer, and abide by his recommendation.

Cr Brookes said that if Mr Montefiore’s application was granted there would be a shoal of similar applications—and all should be granted. Cr Spiers said he did not want to be hard on anyone, but Mr Montefiore’s land seemed to him to be rated fairly low at present. He wanted some uniformity. iCr Brookes commented that there was farm land outside the borough and if a man bought land in the borough for farm purposes he took the risk of being rated on that land with all its real or imaginary disabilities. The Mayor said the matter had been deferred for several months, and it was only fair to dispose of it without avoidable delay. Cr Spiers commented that there was no hurry, as Mr Gordon would be valuing in Te Awamutu until next March. At a matter of interest, he was informed that Mr Gordon had valued the property in question three months ago. Ultimately it was decided to investigate the legal position and to apply to the Valuation Department for the services of Mr Gordon. Mr Loder’s solicitors advised that application was being made to have his fifteen-acre farm adjoining Albert Park placed on the farm-land list of the borough and rated at a reduced scale. His present annual rates, £l9 Is 3d (or £1 5s 5d per acre) were more than the property would bear. The Mayor said that in this case the Council should decide whether or not the area was urban land. It had been actually valued as urban land, but it had never been declared urban land. He thought the Council should inspect the property. Cr Spiers expressed the opinion that there would never be buildings on the greater part of it in a hundred years. The Council decided to inspect the property.