Letters to Editor
Debt debate
I read with interest the report on the recent mayoral candidates debate. The art of smoke and mirrors around debt was to the fore. No matter which way we look at it the rate payers will be paying for any future debt for water work.
We can say the debt is no longer on the council books because it has been shifted to Waikato Waters Ltd, but us rate payers will still be paying for that debt. We will now be getting three rates bills, one from council, one from Waikato regional council and now one from Waikato Waters Ltd.
Water
The other trap for us rate payers in the future will be that future councils will be deluded into thinking we have low debt because the books will show a reduced debt on councils books because the debt has been moved to another debt ridden entity.
I don’t look forward to future water bills which will be massive from here on in with a further $11 million being added this year. I doubt all of the other rate payers in the new entity will be putting their hands up to pay my share of Waitomo’s water costs.
The sad reality is no matter which person is mayor us ratepayers are going to foot the bill which is not going to get cheaper.
I see some candidates calling themselves rates control (Act Party) who are hell bent on cutting social services to achieve that goal. I would like to remind all candidates you are standing to be elected to serve the community who have voted for you not the masters of central government which has no idea of what community is.
Gordon Walker
Piopio
Rates cap
Was anyone surprised to hear mayoral candidates object to rates capping (The News September 4)?
Our current Waitomo mayor sees no need to cap rates and reminds us that rates increases during his tenure have been less than most other councils. Maybe… yet his increases were still “piggy-backed” on top of some of the highest rates in the country, suggesting our rates could still be highest.
This was confirmed by Waitomo rates being around double those of Ōtorohanga and that Waitomo Council took $21 million in rates in 2023-24 and Ōtorohanga only took $13 million. Where did the extra $8 million go? It surely didn’t go into our roads.
If councils were run like a real-world business, the business owners would cut their operating costs when required without compromising their services, as a matter of fiscal (monetary) prudence. However, councils everywhere simply claim that “rates must go up or services will suffer. But why?
What if councils actually made cuts to their late model vehicle fleets, their salaries and stopped commissioning consultants on non-core ideas? Any claim that rates must go up and cannot be reasonably capped is a weak and lazy excuse. I will be voting for anyone who will commit to a binding rates cap.
(Abridged)
D. Dickinson.
Te Kuiti
Reunion
We are organising a reunion/get together for the Palmerston North Teacher’s College 1976 intake to take place on January 17 and 18 2026. The venue is Sheffield Street, Palmerston North. Call Paul on 028 404 5293 for more details.
Letters to Editor
