12 September 2018
Media: Rotorua Daily Post
Topic: Ratepayers Report 2018
Inquiry
The reporter asked questions in regards to the Ratepayers Report 2018 -
- How does the council manage to charge less than the national average for rates when it is paying staff and councillors more than the national average, has higher expenses than the national average, less revenue, less valuable assets and more liabilities?
- Are any of the figures for areas highlighted in the report likely to change significantly in the next year?
- Is the council concerned that it is borrowing $103 more per ratepayer than the national average of $153 per ratepayer and $168 per ratepayer in provincial councils?
- Overall how does the council feel it fared in the report?
Response
Please attribute the following to Rotorua Lakes Council's chief executive, Geoff Williams:
Whilst the report debunks the myth that Rotorua's rates are much higher than in other places, direct comparison of metrics such as staffing numbers and costs can be very misleading.
Councils vary greatly in the services they offer and how they choose to provide them. For example, some centres have Museums and some don't, some provide waste collection services and some don't, some have an extensive rural road network and some don't, some contract out services and some don't. The costs of any Council reflect the nature of their location and the corresponding range of services provided to their constituents, differences in costs therefore simply reflect differences in what is being provided.
In terms of debt, it is higher than we'd like but is largely inherited and driven by a doubling of debt between about 2007 and 2013. Today the real question is, is the projected debt level contained in the Long Term Plan (LTP) both necessary and prudent? Council's debt is projected to increase by $55m over the next ten years. This is driven by investment into new infrastructure projects, such as a new waste water plant, and community priorities, such as restoration of the Museum building. Council has determined that it is prudent to borrow to 2.25 times annual revenue. Council's actual debt over the next ten years stays well below this level.
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Media: The Mud
Topic: Cancellation of Strategy, Policy & Finance Committee meeting
Inquiry
The Mud inquired as to the reason why the Strategy, Policy & Finance meeting for that week was cancelled.
Response
From time to time it is necessary to cancel a scheduled committee meeting due to unforeseen circumstances. To do so is not taken lightly and every effort is undertaken to ensure that the scheduled meetings take place when advertised. Elected members are entitled by legislation to have at least 3 working days' notice of the full agenda. In this case the agenda could not be published within this notice period, mainly due to awaiting information required in the agenda papers which will allow elected members to make robust and informed decisions. The items scheduled for the September Strategy, Policy and Finance Committee meeting will now be moved to the next Council meeting or the October Strategy, Policy and Finance Committee meeting.
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Media: Rotorua Daily Post
Topic: Te wiki o te reo Maori
Inquiry
The reporter asked the following questions -
- Are there more events on this year than there have been previously? Why is it great to see so many events taking place for Te Māori Language Week?
- Why is it an important week for Rotorua to celebrate and get behind?
- How does it feel to have members of the community attending and supporting the events?
Response
Please see the response to your inquiry. Please attribute it to Council's Kaitiaki Ahurea Māori, Monty Morrison:
It's been just over a year since our district made the commitment to advance as a bilingual city. Rotorua Reorua, which is being led by Te Tatau o Te Arawa with support from Council, reminds us that te reo Māori is a taonga (treasure) that is unique to Aotearoa and it's up to us as a community to breathe life into te reo Māori every day. The beauty of Rotorua Reorua is that this year, groups and individuals across our community have organised a variety of events and initiatives to celebrate Te Wiki o te Reo Māori. We have noticed a number of events for people of all ages no matter what their level of reo Māori proficiency and can be accessed by anyone in the community.
