To whom it may concern,
For the 2023-2024 dog registration year Council provides a discount voucher that can be redeemed when purchasing VitaPet poo bags at a supermarket. Please provide the following:
1. All information relating to the decision to adopt this scheme and the justification for doing so* and a copy of the documentation presented to Councillors when making the decision to implement a scheme, the records of the decision, and any discussion before the decision was made.
2. The registration number for the home compostable certification of the bags (not the packaging in which the bags are sold) and the statutory authority to include the pre-purchase payment in the dog registration fee and use the Dog Control Act enforcement provisions to enforce payment of the pre-purchase amount to Council.
3. The total amount expended on the scheme to date, including the cost of the voucher, and advertising, in adequate detail for the categories of costs to be separately identified, and identify which costs were charged to the dog control or the general rates budget.
4. The total number of vouchers issued, and the number redeemed to date.
* Whether called a business case, s17A report, or other name, and including but not limited to an analysis of options, cost/benefits, environmental impact, risks, decision-making criteria, justifications for selecting this scheme not other options, etc.
Prior to the introduction of this scheme dog owners pre-paid for 6 rolls of poo bags that were collected from Council. Please provide the following:
5. The number of rolls purchased for registration years 2021-2022 and 2022-2023, and cost per roll (noting the CEO provided this information by letter dated 23 March for years 2019-2021 2021 so it cannot be refused on the basis it is commercially sensitive as previously claimed)
6. The number of rolls collected by owners for years 2020-2021, 2021-2022, 2022-2023, and the number of rolls sold.
7. The number of uncollected rolls held by Council when the scheme was closed at end registration year 2023. (Noting the number has already been determined from other information. This is an opportunity for Council to officially confirm that number.)
This information is required to prepare submissions for the upcoming Annual Plan so please provide it in a timely manner to avoid disadvantaging the preparation of those submissions. Given the results of previous Ombudsman investigations, ignoring the request or refusing the information will be treated as a refusal because the information does not exist.
Regards,
Rachael Nicoll

Dear DCC,

The response to request 1) argued in favour of the scheme and made no effort to provide the type of information requested, or respond to the request to do so. Please provide the information requested or state why it is not being provided consistent with the LGOIMA requirements.

Request 3) asked for the categories of costs to be separately identified. The response was a total cost for a pamphlet that has not been seen by any known dog owners. However even that cost was a total and avoided separately identifying costs such as design, printing or the claimed cost of including the unseen pamphlet in the post-out. The response also failed to provide other costs known to have actually been incurred, such as printing the card that was actually sent to owners, including the Vita/Masterpet provided card in the renewal documentation, other advertising, and conversion costs (such as researching and deciding the new scheme, making changes required to the website, other DCC information, internal systems etc, and disposing of the poo bags from the previous scheme). Please provide the information that was requested, or state why it is not being provided consistent with the LGOIMA requirements.

Yours sincerely,

Rachael Nicoll