An Earnscleugh resident has offered to co-ordinate the election campaign of any Central Otago District Council candidates who want to rein in rates rises.
Retired journalist Ric Oram recently placed an advertisement in the Lakes District and Central Otago News inviting candidates to campaign under a "Rates Relief" banner, and offering to help with their campaign.
Rates Relief was not a party but simply a banner under which candidates wanting to curb rates increases could campaign together and reduce electioneering costs.
Candidates would remain independent but with one thing in common - the aim of cost-cutting to reduce rates.
Individuals, households, companies and even governments here and around the world had had to cut costs this year, he said in the advertisement.
"But not this council, which wants 7% more [in rates] this year, when inflation in the past 12 months was only 2%."
Several people had contacted Mr Oram to express support for his views that rates were too high, but nobody had yet taken up the offer of help with the campaign, he said.
The council had told him the rates rise was because of inflation and increasing operational and capital expenditure driven significantly by central government processes.
A major contributing factor was the requirement to provide funding for future asset replacement via depreciation.
"In other words, `it's the Government's fault, not ours'. Sounds like passing the buck to me - and big bucks at that."
In hard economic times, all businesses had to cut costs and there were many ways to do that, including reviewing how things were done, capping or reducing staff numbers and reviewing telephone and electricity accounts, he said.
