Dear Andrew

 

I refer to your request below asking for information regarding the cost of
LIMs.

 

Council Response

 

 1. The charge for a LIM Report, provided to any member of the public:

This is reported on the Christchurch City Council website - [1]Regulatory
and property information service fees : Christchurch City Council
(ccc.govt.nz)

 

 2. The actual cost of a LIM Report

The compilation of a LIM is complex it includes staff collation time,
corporate overheads, property rent, technical experts time to review and
update comments for inclusion in a LIM when the environmental landscape
changes. It also can include the scraping of various data bases that the
Council utilises and the retrieval of hard copy property files for digital
conversion if necessary. As, such the amount of time and cost for each LIM
will vary depending on the size and complexity of the case.

Therefore, we do not hold the information for an individual LIM cost
breakdown because of the variance of costs for the production of each
LIM. 

As such, this information is refused under LGOIMA s17(e) – the information
does not exist or cannot be found.

 

 

 3. How the CCC sets its price for a LIM Report

When setting fees, Council conducts a benchmarking exercise with other
Councils of similar size and complexities.  Wellington City Council has
been identified as our closest neighbour in this regard with them having
similar types of residential housing.  The various types of housing adds
layers of complexity to the LIM.  In comparison, Selwyn and Waimakariri
District Council have a standard build environment, with little to no
multi-story residential dwellings resulting in an easier product to
produce.

The cost comparison between Wellington and Christchurch Councils
Residential LIM’s are; Wellington - $333.35, Christchurch - $290.00.

 

 

 4. Does a LIM Report constitute Official Information, and if not, why
not:

Under the Local Government Official Information and Meetings Act 1987
(LGOIMA) s44A(4) we can charge for LIM requests. Therefore, while it is
considered Council information, in the sense that it is
discoverable/public information under the LGOIMA, it is one of the few
things Council can charge for. This is because the LGOIMA recognises the
time and resources that go into the collation of the files and reports.

S44A(4) states local bodies can charge a fixed rate that the Council finds
appropriate – so it is the same cost for everyone.

 

You have the right to seek an investigation and review by the Ombudsman of
this decision. Information about how to make a complaint is available at
[2]www.ombudsman.parliament.nz or freephone 0800 802 602.

 

Kind regards

Ella

 

Ella Sullivan
Official Information Advisor
Office of the Mayor and Chief Executive

 

-----Original Message-----
From: Andrew Mitchell <[FOI #24192 email]>
Sent: Wednesday, September 20, 2023 11:58 AM
To: Official Information <[email address]>
Subject: Official Information request - LIM Costs

 

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Dear Christchurch City Council,

 

Please supply the following information pursuant to the [Official
Information Act (OIA) / Local Government Official Information and Meetings
Act (LGOIMA)]:

 

1.      The charge for a LIM Report, provided to any member of the public,
and

2.      The actual cost of a LIM Report, and

3.      How the CCC sets its price for a LIM Report, and

4.      Does a LIM Report constitute Official Information,

and if not, why not

 

Yours faithfully,

 

Andrew

 

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