Bay of Plenty Regional Council- Submission updates 2022/23
Bay of Plenty Regional Council – annual processes – info on all processes can be found here: Home | Participate BOPRC
We have submitted to Council on four different processes.
- In terms of proposed fees and charges for 2022/2023, Council proposed an increase of 8% to fees and charges across the board. Federated Farmers supports user pays principles and as such we supported the increase, while noting that increased costs can have perverse outcomes. Council also proposed to waive compliance charges for onsite effluent treatment systems at Marae. We noted that it is not Council’s responsibility to establish social equity, and questioned why other community facilities (such as halls and churches) have also not been considered for such waivers. Changes were also proposed to Plan Change 10 compliance charges, which would move from actual costs to fixed annual charges. We did not agree with the proposed change as there are inequity problems with the approach where compliant consent holders will effectively subsidise non-compliant consent holders. Further, should monitoring exceed fixed costs, then this will need to be met from the general revenue.
- We submitted on proposed changes to the Revenue and Financing Policy. Council is proposing two new targeted rates for two activities – being sustainable homes (loans to support homeowners to install insulation, heating and solar power), and regional infrastructure (for projects region wide or for a sub-region to allow for increased certainty of funding, and costs to be spread more). Both proposals are purely about the feel for the use of a targeted rate – further work would be needed before any targeted rate is actually set and collected. We sought clarity on the use of the targeted rate for regional infrastructure, and overall supported the use of targeted rates where certain members of the community benefit equally.
- From July 2022 Council will move to collecting their own rates. As a result, Council consulted on their proposed rates remissions policies. Council is providing transition rules by extending currently approved remissions until the next full policy review is completed, which we supported. Council also proposed standardised remissions across the district, which we largely supported with some amendments. We also encouraged Council to implement a remission of the Uniform Annual General Charges on contiguous rating units in common ownership, used as a single entity. This would recognise that farmers already contribute more than their fair share in general rates, and that the Council is not intending that the transparent and fair targeted uniform charge system impose a heavier burden on some ratepayers than others.
- We supported Council’s proposal to join the regional shared services organisation and contribute to the operating costs of this organisation.
Our full submissions can be reviewed on the right.
For further enquires or queries, please contact:
Jesse Brennan
Senior Policy Advisor
M: 027 226 5585
E: [email protected]