It was a rowdy affair at the Gore District Council meeting for the end of November, as community advocates spoke out against what they called a betrayal of their ratepayer base.
The meeting, held on November 26, featured submissions from the community, andf the chamber was packed out with people standing and watching.
Groundswell spokesmen Laurie Paterson and Bryce McKenzie and Mataura catchment liaison committee chairman Hugh Gardyne gave submissions.
Mr Paterson did not mince words, and said the people of Gore were sick of the increases.
"Your ratepayers rightly feel they are just a cash cow for whatever hare-brained scheme the council comes up with."
Mr Paterson said, with regard to the debate over sites of significance to Māori, the council had lost sight of who it represents.
"We don’t think the Runanga is at fault. It is the council who has betrayed its ratepayers," he said.
Mr Paterson also discussed, in regards to the increases, a rate freeze where people in the community would refuse to pay rates.
"We’ve been thinking about it for a while. It is a last resort, but we want to see some movement," Mr Paterson said.
"If there’s no movement anywhere, it won’t be necessarily be up to us, people will take it into their own hands.
"They’re sick of it," he said.
In response to these issues, the Gore District Council stated it was aware of the rising rates and the impact on residents, and have kept rates as low as possible for years.
The council stated the only way to trim down the rates more would be a reduction of services, which would be explored in 2025 with the community via the long-term plan consultation.
The council’s debt was not a result of mismanagement and instead a sensible way of funding infrastructure and facilities for future generations, spreading the cost of assets over a longer period of time, the council said.
The council stated it has been facing rising costs at a level much higher than the average household, citing construction inflation, and challenging times.
In regards to rates not being paid, a ratepayer will receive a 10% penalty of the instalment amount.
If this is still not paid, the debt will either be worked into a payment plan or be referred to a collections agency, either in-house from the council or an external company.
Although the idea was circulating that people were forced to sell their homes due to high rates, the council was not aware of any house sales resulting from the increase.
The Gore District Council has assisted 446 ratepayers with rate rebates for the financial year starting July 1 2024.
