Hello Keith

Thank you for your request received 20 August 2014.

Pursuant to the Local Government Official Information and Meetings Act 1987, you will receive a reply within twenty working days of Council receiving your request.
Meanwhile should you require any further assistance please feel free to contact our Customer Service Centre on 09 439 3123 or 0800 727 059.

Kind regards

Sue Downey
Customer Services

Kaipara District Council
Private Bag 1001
Dargaville 0340

Dargaville Office: 42 Hokianga Road, Dargaville 0310
Mangawhai Office: Unit 6, The Hub, 6 Molesworth Drive, Mangawhai 0505

P: 0800 727 059
E: [Kaipara District Council request email]
W: www.kaipara.govt.nz

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Hello Keith

 

Thank you for your email and your request for information relating to the
Te Kopuru wastewater desludging consultation under the Local Government
Official Information and Meetings Act 1987.

 

Council did not consult with the Te Kopuru ratepayers for the raising of
the loan to desludge the Te Kopuru Wastewater Scheme.  While in Council’s
2013/14 Annual Plan there was nothing tying together the desludging of
wastewater ponds with specific communities it does refer to desludging
being loan funded rather than rate funded to afford high spikes in rates. 
Also that it recognises that the benefits of desludging are spread over a
number of years.  

 

Council will consult when there are choices or options that the community
may wish to consider and Council can use its discretion when deciding
whether and what type of consultation is required.

 

For what Council considers significant decisions it will consult with the
community through its Annual or Long Term Plan process.  For example the
proposed piping of stormwater along Norton Street in Te Kopuru was an
option for the community.  There was a choice, to have it or not.

 

There was no other option for the community to consider with the
desludging of the Te Kopuru system. This was required to meet Northland
Regional Council’s resource consent conditions. There was a compliance
issue that needed addressing and legally Council was required to do this
work.  

 

In 2012 when the decision was made to do the desludging, the Policy at the
time was that all operational costs were funded by individual communities
by way of a targeted rate.  While the desludging was an operational
cost, Council realised the Te Kopuru ratepayers could not afford such an
increase to their rates. The desludging would last for years and paying
the required work by way of a loan meant the cost could be spread over a
number of years.

 

Council has key areas that make up operational costs. Our current Policy
which was adopted as part of the 2013/14 Annual Plan and amendments to the
2012/22 Long Term, is to fund operational repairs, maintenance, management
and administration based on a District wide average. Depreciation and loan
repayments are funded by individual communities by way of targeted rates.
 

 

I trust this answers your query.

 

Regards Linda

 

 

 

Kaipara District Council

Private Bag 1001

Dargaville 0340

 

Dargaville Office: 42 Hokianga Road, Dargaville 0310 Mangawhai Office:
Unit 6, The Hub, 6 Molesworth Drive, Mangawhai 0505

 

P: 0800 727 059

E: [1][Kaipara District Council request email]

W: [2]www.kaipara.govt.nz

 

 

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