Property owners may have to pay $14,500 each to seal rural Canterbury road

The complexities of funding the sealing of a rural road came to the fore at a Hurunui District Council meeting on Tuesday.

After about two hours of debate at the February 25 meeting, district councillors agreed in principal to contribute to cost of sealing the unsealed section of Maskells Road, Balcairn, near Amberley, from general rates.

The 24 property owners living along that section of road will be expected to pay half of the cost, should 75 percent of the property owners agree to the terms.

District council chief finance officer Jason Beck said the project would be loan funded and paid off over 10 years.

Property owners will be able to choose whether to pay a lump sum or a targeted rate over the 10 year period.

Staff estimated the project would cost around $700,000, meaning it could cost the property owners around $14,500 each.

District council chief executive Hamish Dobbie said the options will be presented to the property owners ahead of this year’s annual plan process, with the intention of including it in the draft 2025/26 annual plan, which will be consulted on in May.

Council staff met with residents last year, before reporting to the council’s operations committee in October.

While not all of the the 24 property owners attended the meeting, councillor Garry Jackson said he believed there was support for the project.

‘‘I think 75% is the right number and the ratepayers who have responded so far have indicated they have done the work of engaging with their neighbours, so they believe they have the support of at least 18 or 19 of the 24 properties.’’

But Deputy Mayor Vince Daly said he was concerned up to 25% of residents could be left carrying a share of the costs for a project they did not want ‘‘or can’t afford’’.

‘‘For some of them, it could end up being a 50% or 100% increase in their rates.’’

Councillors also debated whether development contributions could contribute to the cost and whether it could be shared with the property owners.

While she supported the proposal, Cr Pauline White said she was concerned it could set a precedent for other roading projects.

‘‘Seventy-five percent of 24 is one thing, but 75% of four properties is another thing.’’

Roading is a complex issue for the Hurunui District Council, with a large, ageing roading network and a small population based.

The district covers a large rural community with around 13,000 residents, and has around 900km of unsealed roads and 600km of sealed roads.

By David Hill, Local Democracy Reporter

■ LDR is local body journalism co-funded by RNZ and NZ On Air.