A Taieri landowner is questioning why he should to pay an Otago Regional Council levy for flood protection, when 90% of his 25ha farm went under water this week.
Plumber and farmer Chris Ryall told the Otago Daily Times yesterday he was not demanding better protection from the Taieri River flooding.
He simply does not want to pay for something he does not get.
"I don't mind it flooding. It doesn't worry me, because it gives my land a good water.
"We're quite silty here and it dries out quite badly, so this will give it a good moisten-up and it will come away in the spring and it will be great.
"I just object to paying the levy."
Mr Ryall says he pays regional council rates of $114.86 for flood protection, $113.72 for drainage and $46.12 for river maintenance.
His house, which was flooded in 1980 and once again since then, had been raised on a higher foundation and also had its own flood banks.
It was not flooded this week.
Mr Ryall considered the council charging for services it did not provide was "getting out of control".
"They've got a river management fee of $46. Well, they don't do river management here.
"Every time I ring them up and try to get them to come and do something, they just fob you off."
Council chairman Stephen Cairns said he was not aware of the specifics of the case but pointed out Mr Ryall was part of a wider community.
"He's just sharing part of the overall community burden of flood protection."
He gave as an example people living on the hills of Waverley paying towards the Leith-Lindsay flood protection scheme.
The system made sense "because it keeps the university open, it keeps the roads open, it keeps the hospital open. There are all sorts of community benefits."
"I think it's a pretty naive argument, to be honest.
"If you live in a community, sometimes you have to bear a shoulder of burden for overall community good," Mr Cairns said.
Mr Ryall said he would be writing to the council.
