The Gore District council was more than $42 million in debt with just over 6000 ratepayers. Photo: Wikicommons
Gore ratepayers are likely in for a rates hike of over 11 percent but will have little say in the matter thanks to their dysfunctional council.
With months of strained relations between the mayor and councillors apparently behind them, an extraordinary meeting was held on Tuesday to finally discuss the critical annual plan in public.
But it was down to the wire for the Gore District Council to sign off the plan and the rates hike for the new financial year starting in July.
The annual plan would not be agreed and adopted until a 27 June meeting, with the broken relationship between the new mayor Ben Bell and chief executive Stephen Parry compounding matters.
The two men had not been speaking since December.
The delays to the annual plan meant there was no time to formally consult the public - who were facing a 11.58 percent rates hike.
Councillor Paul McPhail said it was a lot to ask in the current economic environment.
"It's a horrendous rates rise and I don't like it . . . but it's the world we're living in. If we go to the supermarket, it's the same. So it's a perfect storm we've hit with the debt we've got . . . I don't agree with it but we've just got to face it unfortunately," he told the meeting.
The council was more than $42 million in debt with just over 6000 ratepayers.
Recent increases in interest rates were responsible for 4.5 percent of the rates rise alone.
With the broken relationship between the new mayor and chief executive compounding matters, delays to the annual plan meant there was no time to formally consult the public. Photo: Supplied / Facebook
There had also been hopes of reviewing how the district split its rates between town and country.
But that had not happened with many councillors labelling the current system unfair.
It even prompted an apology from Mataura ward councillor Neville Phillips to his constituents.
"Once again we haven't had our review in rating and Mataura is going to be hit once again very hard. I've tried my best to keep it down as low as possible but . . . I do apologise. I'm trying to do my best in a world that's gone crazy," Phillips said.
But the increase would have real world effects.
Council chief financial officer Lornae Straith said there was already a sharp rise in those behind on their payments.
"We do recognise that the community is doing it tough. This time last year we had 19 dishonours, at the same time this year we're up to 98. So the community is finding it tough and we're trying to work with those people the best we can."
There was no chance for the public to make formal submissions on what was proposed.
That might further enrage residents, who only a fortnight ago protested outside the council when a group of councillors threatened a motion of no confidence in mayor Ben Bell.
The rogue councillors ultimately backed down and the council committed to playing nice.
Last night, the council also delayed a vote on the terms of reference for a review into its dysfunction.
The other man at the centre of it all - Stephen Parry - was nowhere to be seen, with the council saying he reassumed the responsibilities of chief executive yesterday morning after a period of leave, but was working from home.