Rates postponement and remission

Properties deemed uninhabitable, or unusable, as a result of flood damage in Edgecumbe will be eligible for rates postponement. Photo: Mark Law/Facebook.

The Whakatane District Council has approved a rates postponement and remission process which goes beyond the provisions of its existing rates remission policy.

At an extraordinary meeting last week, the council agreed rates postponements and remissions should be extended to all properties which are uninhabitable, or unusable, as a result of flood damage sustained in last month's storm events.

Under the existing policy, remissions would not have been available to non-resident ratepayers or commercial ratepayers. Flood-damaged homes on large rural properties will also be included, subject to a valuation by the council's valuation service provider on the residential portion of the land.

The council noted that the decision to exceed its remissions criteria was ‘inconsistent' with its policy, but confirmed that such a departure was permitted under the Local Government Act, given the widespread devastation caused by the April storms.

As a result of the decision, rates invoices marked as ‘postponed' will be issued for the 269 properties (185 owner-occupied; 69 owned by non-resident ratepayers; 11 large rural properties; and four commercial properties) which have so far been identified as eligible for rates remission. Payments will not be required until homes are repaired to a standard where they can be safely reoccupied.

A rates remission application will then need to be lodged within 12 months of the flooding event, so that all rates for the period concerned can be remitted. Initial estimates indicate that up to $168,000 of rates may be remitted for the fourth quarter of the 2016/17 financial year. Further remissions will be required in the 2017/18 financial year.

Mayor Tony Bonne says elected members acknowledged there would be a significant cost involved, but under the circumstances, felt there was no option but to address the flood-related impacts on properties as comprehensively as possible.

'People in a number of areas, and particularly in Edgecumbe, have had to vacate their properties until they can be restored to a habitable standard,” he says.

'Councillors unanimously supported this approach, so we can take away at least some of the financial pressures the affected communities are dealing with as a result of this natural disaster.”

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3 comments

Thanks for a nice bit of compassion there.

Posted on 14-05-2017 09:15 | By Papamoaner

Effectively, by rates, the untouched part of the community are helping the unfortunate victims. That's fair! it could be the other way around next time. I would have no objection to my rates going up a bit to make up the difference.


Front up Power Company

Posted on 15-05-2017 17:10 | By maddog

Its interesting with how everyone is blaming local government with the flooding in Edgecumbe, maybe you should be questioning how, and why is a Power company who runs the Dam is hiding behind Government and will not come out of hiding and say we caused this flooding and to apologise to every member of public for it. Use their Profit they make to help the people of Edgecumbe and help sort out the stop bank. Yes i agree about the local government to also assist with funding and any profit they make goes towards helping the Edgecumbe public.


@MadDog

Posted on 18-05-2017 09:38 | By Papamoaner

True. In the old days it was all done by our magnificent world class Ministry of Works. Rogernomics killed all that and now we live with the result


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