The 1000-member strong Clutha District Rates Proposal Facebook group was formed recently in response to the announcement the council expected to set a 25% rates cap for the next three years as part of long-term planning.
Group spokesman Phil Barrett attended the public forum of yesterday’s council meeting in Balclutha to voice some of the group’s concerns regarding the increases, and invite councillors to a public meeting at the South Otago Town & Country Club in Balclutha, on February 28.
Mr Barrett said he had some suggestions for the council, as put forward by the group.
He said the tone of Clutha Mayor Bryan Cadogan’s responses to ratepayers in recent media pieces had been patronising and dishonest.
"Ratepayers who ... voiced their valid fears over the impact of the intended rises [received] a response from Mayor Cadogan like a detention for a naughty child for not doing as they were told. And then the added bonus of being told not to listen to Facebook flip-flop and misinformation.
"So here’s my first suggestion: be honest. Even if Three Waters had been implemented it was not a free ride ... It still would have cost [us] ... up to $2300 per rateable unit. It was never going to be free ..."
He said the council had shown "blind faith" in the previous government’s plan, and failed to make a contingency plan for the changes that had occurred.
The new, National-led coalition is repealing former Three Waters legislation, placing water infrastructure costs back on councils and ratepayers, driving significant anticipated rates rises during the next 10 years.
Mr Barrett invited councillors to attend the group’s public meeting later this month, for the purposes of "honest engagement".
"People are quite rightly worried about their futures, and how they are going to manage the rates increase.
"As it stands, not many people out there believe the council has the ability to manage the enormous responsibility ahead of us."
Milton resident Doug Wates spoke following Mr Barrett, and said pensioners like him would find the increases "crazy and unaffordable".
"If you haven’t got other income, it makes it very hard for people. [Central government] is asking the impossible, seeking $320 million [over 10 years] ... from 11,000 ratepayers.
"I believe council needs to look at [reducing] expenditure and scrap projects where necessary.
"I think sometimes you should just tell the government to get stuffed. You can only do so much [with the rates you have]."
Mr Cadogan said he believed there had been some misunderstanding of the 25% cap among ratepayers.
"That is not the rate increase. We’ll be below that."
He said he would not attend the ratepayers meeting on February 28, although other councillors would be free to choose.
"We are holding eight public soapboxes and meetings as part of the long-term plan consultation process. I think it would be counterproductive to attend [another] meeting to further confuse [and] exacerbate matters."
