Raglan tells council to improve its decision making

 On Tuesday morning several Raglan individuals and organisations will be submitting evidence to Waikato District Council’s (WDC) hearing on its Long Term Plan, questioning the soundness of its decision making. The evidence will note that Waikato has come eighth out of nine in a MYOB business survey of dissatisfaction with councils and that WDC officers seem to have been overstretched and unable to offer sound advice when making decisions.

Raglan Community Board will be pointing out that legislation defines public transport as a core council service, but the proposed economic development unit isn’t. Whaingaroa Environmental Defence (WED) will follow on from that to point out that the Plan fails to mention Raglan’s notoriously overcrowded bus service. WED will be submitting that WDC has been paying GoBus over $200,000 a year more than the Education Ministry would pay for a similar service, yet doesn’t know the terms of the contract with GoBus, and seemingly has a budget to provide best part of $50,000 for a new bus stop, yet claims not to have $45 to put on a minibus on the occasions when passengers would otherwise be left behind. WED will also question whether similar problems will arise when rising oil prices push drivers into switching to buses and why only 1.6% of the transport budget goes to buses, when 5% of ratepayers don’t own cars.

Raglan Residents & Ratepayers Association will be submitting that Raglan’s targeted rates should not be increased by 12% this year, and even more when water meters are introduced next year. They will give evidence that this is far above increases in other WDC towns. WDC will also hear evidence that their officers have not had time to compile basic information on which such decisions should have been based. WDC does not know how much more Raglan is already paying in rates than the WDC average, though information suggests it is in excess of $700 per person per year. WDC has proposed a charge for metered water without knowing what it will cost the average Raglan water user.

WED will ask WDC why a plan to provide a footpath on a narrow winding road, much used by pedestrians, has seemingly been dropped. Evidence will be given that council officers are unable to reconcile their unpublished ‘floating budget’ plans for such works with figures shown in the Plan.

Other evidence submitted on Tuesday morning will question why WDC is doubling debt to promote growth, despite it not being a core council task, the need for more consultation and a Raglan Structure Plan and means of increasing recycling.

The hearings start at 9am at WDC’s Ngaruawahia office.