It is regrettable councils will be able to feed back only on ''fringe issues'' at Local Government New Zealand's annual meeting, Clutha Mayor Bryan Cadogan says.
''I think it's disappointing that with so many major, major issues that the remits that are going to LGNZ are plastic bags and cigarette smoking,'' Mr Cadogan said about remits to be voted on at this Sunday's meeting in Rotorua.
''They're fringe issues that could be in the realms of central government.''
''Core issues'', especially the ''speed at which the national policy statements are coming out'', should be addressed instead, he said.
''How do you start controlling your costs? By aligning the speed of the national policy statements with New Zealand's ability to keep up.''
The resource consent for Clinton's water scheme, for example, would come up again unnecessarily next year.
''And because the national policy statements in the intervening years have changed so much, they're going to have to pull apart a perfectly good water scheme and put in another one.
''We're doing rating sales [where the council sells properties for which rates have not been paid] on this one, but we're going to put in another one.
''We've got a real ability as a combined cohesive group to talk about some of those big issues, but no, let's talk about plastic bags.''
LGNZ chief executive Malcolm Alexander said the remits for Sunday were for members to bring forward issues they ''particularly want to''.
''It's only `a' mechanism; there are many,'' he said.
''We have a huge work programme that is driven by the membership without it ever going to the remit.''
Mr Alexander said while the issue of national policy standards outpacing New Zealanders' ability to pay rates was not a focus at the annual general meeting, it was an issue for many in local government.
''I could give you a list of initiatives from central government which are essentially a cost-shift from central to local government: `You need to do this but we are not funding you for it, but by the way when you put up rates to fund it, we're going to criticise you for putting rates up.' We're calling them on it.
''Drinking-water standards ... a number of officials have said, 'This is the standard we have to aspire to, despite the fact that no-one is dying from bad water.' And they set it, but ... it's a lot of money. Who's paying for that? The community.''
The Clutha District Council (CDC) supports a remit proposed by the Far North District Council to push the Government for $40 million worth of subsidies for three-water and wastewater schemes.
A proposal by the Wanganui District Councilasking LGNZ to investigate the ''possibility, practicality and principle of territorial authorities charging rates against Crown-owned properties'' also received unanimous support.
The CDC does not support Palmerston North City Council's proposals for a mandatory levy on plastic shopping bags at point of sale or smoke-free outdoor hospitality areas at bars and restaurants.
