NEWS AND YOUR VIEWS FOR OUR DISTRICT

      

11-Sep-12

Council elections postponed

by Kim Munro

Elections for the Kaipara District Council have been postponed until 2015

This is a major provision in the Terms of Reference which have been laid down for the four Commissioners who now effectively govern the Kaipara district. Triennial KDC elections were supposed to take place along with the rest of the country, in October next year.

The commissioners will remain in place until the day after the new council is elected at an election set to take place in 2015.

Appointed to take over the debt-beleaguered council are John Robertson (chair), Richard Booth, Colin Dale and Peter Winder.

They were briefed last week by Greg Gent, the chair of the Review Team which had been appointed by the Minister of Local Government, David Carter, in the wake of the KDC declared debt of $80 million.

Incurred in part by the Mangawhai Wastewater Scheme, the debt and proposed rate rises sparked a ratepayers revolt, with threats to withhold their payments.

Mr Gent said his briefing centred around recommendations laid out in the review team’s report to government last month.

“I came away from our meeting feeling very enthusiastic and reassured,” he added.

“Engaging with the community was highlighted as being very important. Kaipara has some big issues to work through but I have every confidence that the commissioners will be doing so very methodically, thoroughly and professionally.”

“Our role has now ceased and on behalf of the review team, I would like to thank the many people of the Kaipara who have given up their time to assist us with our work.”

The Department of Internal Affairs has established terms of reference for the commissioners set out in four phases covering from now until 2015.

Their tasks include ‘to work through issues raised by council’s Annual Report and Long Term Plan that relate to the financial risks faced by the council’ and to ‘undertake actions to enforce the payment of 2012/2013 rates and any unpaid rates from previous years.’

Commissioners are directed to ‘work with the Kaipara community and ratepayers and the Department of Internal Affairs to identify options for dealing with invalidly set rates and other legal compliance matters.’

They will ‘identify the capacity of the Mangawhai Community Wastewater Scheme, whether it is fit for purpose and the ideal funding model for the scheme for the future. This work is to have regard to the findings from the Auditor-General’s Inquiry into the Mangawhai Community Wastewater Scheme.’

The commissioners are also required to, ‘begin initial engagement with the community and iwi to rebuild confidence and trust in the council. This may include the establishment of community and iwi reference groups.’

The full terms of reference are available at the Department of Internal Affairs website: www.dia.govt.nz