Tuesday’s meeting of the Raglan Community Board saw the Board tackle a number of big issues.
These items from Tuesdays’ meeting of the Raglan Community Board included:
1. The Board approved a submission to the Waikato District Draft Long Term Plan which included a proposal to freeze water rates at the current level.
Vol. 1 Page 34- We oppose the increases in the non metered water rates for Raglan. The rate was $200 in 2007, increased to $267.91 and then to $357 this year. i.e. An increase of 78.5% in 4 years. No further increase is justified. The draft LTP proposes that the non metered water rate is increased to $399.84 in the first year of the plan. This would mean that the water rate has increased by 99.92% in 5 years. i.e. A doubling of the water rate in 5 years. We propose that the non metered water rate is frozen for a 5 year period at $357 a year.
Full submission on the Board’s Facebook.
2. Fracking Free- Following a suggestion from the Spreydon Heathcote Community Board in Christchurch, the Raglan Community Board resolved that Board’s area should be a fracking free zone. The Board has requested the Waikato District Council to act on this decision. Board members commented that given that Raglan relies on artesian bores for its water supply, this is an important point to defend.
3. Ruapuke Collective presented a petition with 1,200 signatures opposing open cast mining of iron sand deposits under farm land at Ruapuke with a request for the Raglan Ward Councillor, Clint Baddeley to present the petition as a submission on the mining license at the appropriate time. RCB supported and approved this request. Mayor Sanson said he would be phoning the MED on Wednesday as it was the first he had heard of the mining proposal.
How do we get that good submission acted on, when the mayor wouldn’t even believe there’s a threat of open cast mining (until he checks with the ministry) and didn’t believe the new StatsNZ population figures? He believes Raglan is subsidised by the farmers and, as on Tuesday, he’s not going to believe anything he’s told by anyone from Raglan.