Federated Farmers Submission on Kaipara District Council's Fees and Charges 2017-18
Federated Farmers is generally supportive of the government’s 2012 “Better Local Government” package and the legislative changes that have subsequently arisen from that package. It is noted that the purpose of councils is stated in the relevant legislation as being both “to enable democratic local decision-making and action by, and on behalf of, communities” and “to meet the current and future needs of communities for good-quality local infrastructure, local public services, and performance of regulatory functions in a way that is most cost-effective for households and businesses”. Federated Farmers see the emphasis of these “purpose” provisions as being firmly on councils undertaking activities efficiently, at low cost and being fiscally prudent.
Specific Comments
It is difficult to determine what the overall impact of the change in fees and charges will be as no overall analysis or percentage rise has been reported. Rise in charges range from approximately 0.7% (community housing charges) to an extreme 270% (Notice of a requirement for a Designation [non-notified]). Parking charges and some subdivision fees remain unchanged, however the free 30 minutes enquiries and pre-application meeting timeframe has been halved to 15 minutes. Photocopying charges, water connection with testable backflow preventer fees (-10%) and Fire safety breach charges (-10%) have decreased. Although the Council have shown the previous value alongside the new charge or fee in their document, for good consultation and governance practice, we recommend that the Council should include a brief description of the reasoning behind significant changes.
For more information please see the full submission