Ele Ludemann: Ratepayers’ pledge launched

Councils staff had proposed spending money on a project, justifying the expenditure because there was enough in the budget to cover it.

One councillor pointed out that just because there was money in the budget, didn’t mean it had to be spent.

That concept is beyond many councillors, and council staff, which explains why so many local authorities have been imposing such high rates and other charges.

The Taxpayers’ Union aims to change that by inviting all candidates to sign up to their ratepayers’ pledge :

Every candidate standing mayor and council has been asked for their commitment to ratepayers over three key issues;

1.) Oppose any measures that will see the total burden of rates, levies and additional council charges exceed the level of inflation and population growth,

Rates get the main focus but levies and other charges imposed by councils have also soared past, and contributed to, inflation.

2.) Support initiatives that will improve transparency of council expenditure, including the public disclosure of all expenditure items (known as ‘armchair audit’ and ‘open data’)

3.) Oppose unelected appointments onto council committees with spending and regulatory powers.

Taxpayers’ Union Local Government Campaigns Manager, Sam Warren, said:

“Councils are only as good as the people we elect to sit on them. Often we don’t know where they stand on important issues. The Ratepayer Protection Pledge draws a line in the sand to highlight which candidates are standing with ratepayers this year.”

“Every name added to the pledge will be published online, so voters can make an informed decision on who best represents them, and who chooses to coast through another term of higher rates and less transparency.”

“Councils today are in bad shape. We need good candidates to make a stand. They have until Monday 1 September to add their names and show us how seriously they will take the growing call for change in local government.”

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Reasons – and excuses – for steep increases in rates and other charges are many and some of the blame for them lies with successive governments that have imposed new requirements of councils without providing funds.

But no matter who’s to blame, and how compelling the reasons and excuses, the burden of rates and other council charges, is too high and increases well above inflation and population growth cannot continue.

Some councillors and candidates might well regard the pledge as a blunt instrument, but adhering to it would be a very good start to reining in expenditure and thereby reducing the burden of rates.

Ele Ludemann is a North Otago farmer and journalist, who blogs HERE - where this article was sourced.