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ROCKY BAY NEVER WAS OMIHA

A Waiheke Island Myth Part 1 On Waiheke Island, New Zealand, a myth has grown up among a handful of people in the Rocky Bay Village th...

Thursday 21 February 2008

MISLEADING REPORT ON THAMES-COROMANDEL'S RATES

The quotation published in Marketplace last week saying that the draft proposal for rates in Thames-Coromandel in 2008/2009 would see an average rise of 12.17% was highly misleading.

First, it should be emphasised that it is a draft, so it still has to go through public submissions before the council finalises the figures in mid year. Second, Thames-Coromandel's rating system, which makes heavy use of targeted rates that apply only to areas with particular services and projects, means that some people would experience only a slight increase in rates, and Jeremy in Thames-Coromandel's rates team says that some might even go down slightly, if they are in rural areas that have no council services.

It all depends on the services you receive. If you are in an urban area such as Thames or Whangamata, and therefore have wastewater and water reticulation connected, your rates would go up an average of 17-19% because you get all the service charges. But if the only service you receive is rubbish-collection, which is of course what would apply on the Gulf Islands, the draft rise is from an annual charge of $102.76 to $109.16. Less than $7.

Hardly a figure to fill anyone with dread. Except Chicken Licken.