West Coast ratepayer pressure worries
From local democracy reporter Brendon McMahon:
Worry has been expressed at the West Coast Regional Council table about more pressure coming on to ratepayers due to the lack of income.
The matter was raised by councillor Peter Haddock, who referred to comments made by chief executive Heather Mabin at their inaugural meeting last month, where she informed councillors that the resource management committee had no assets to generate an income stream from.
Haddock said the council had its Vector Control Services business unit, which apparently earned up to $500,000 a year, based on previous reports and projections.
There were also the council quarries which had previously generated revenue from commercial sales.
Having that income in the next few years would be crucial given the council's commitments and "the impact on our ratepayers if not", he said.
"My concern is if we're losing the income streams, our ratepayers will have to foot the bill."
Mabin said she had been referring to infrastructure.
While VCS and the quarries did generate income, how those ventures were structured and contributed income to the council was under review.
VCS would be brought to the next meeting of the council's Risk and Assurance Committee.
"There has been a request by council to revisit how we allocate overheads because it was evident that this particular unit was not allocated overheads as for the rest of the council," Mabin said.
The findings of that review would be "very enlightening" in terms of future viability.
The quarry operations review was started earlier in the year.
"I was incorrect in that I didn't reference the quarries," Mabin said of her earlier comments.
Councillor Frank Dooley requested a background paper on the quarry income by the next meeting.
Not having made a decision on the sale of rock was one thing, but the use of council quarried rock for public infrastructure projects needed to have the value of that rock built into the capital expenditure tally for those projects, Dooley said.
Mabin said the rock for projects was capitalised but it was “just how it was accounted for” that was being worked through.
Three areas needed to be addressed in any future report, he said: income streams, the allocation of overheads, and the internal movement of quarry rock.
*Public interest journalism funded through NZ On Air
Poll: Should we be giving the green light to new mining projects? 💰🌲
The Environmental Protection Authority announced this week that a proposed mine in Central Otago (near Cromwell) is about to enter its fast-track assessment process. A final decision could come within six months, and if it’s approved, construction might start as early as mid-2026.
We want to know: Should mining projects like this move ahead?
Keen to dig deeper? Mike White has the scoop.
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53.2% Yes
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46.8% No
A riddle to start the festive season 🌲🎁🌟
I'm a fruit. If you take away my first letter, I'm a crime. If you take away my first two letters, I'm an animal. If you take away my first and last letter, I'm a form of music. What am I?
Do you think you know the answer? Simply 'Like' this post if you know the answer and the big reveal will be posted in the comments at 2pm on the day!
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Head here and hover on the Following button on the top right of the page (and it will show Unfollow) and then click it. If it is giving you the option to Follow, then you've successfully unfollowed the Riddles page.
‘Tis the season to not get scammed ...
As Christmas gift shopping moves increasingly online, scammers are ramping up their activity across the country.
Dunedin’s Investigation Support Unit is seeing more and more people fall victim to scams and other fraudulent activity, particularly on Facebook Marketplace.
There are a few ways to avoid the scams and keep yourself safe doing online trades this holiday season, says Southern District Service Delivery Manager Senior Sergeant Dalton.
🔒 “A good first step when looking to purchase something on Marketplace is to check when the seller’s Facebook profile was created. If it’s very recent, there is a higher risk that they have just created this account for a one-off fake item.”
🔒 Another important step is to make sure the seller’s profile name and bank account name match up. “We’re seeing a lot of scammers claiming their bank account name is different because it belongs to their partner or family member - that’s a huge red flag."
🔒 “When you’re selling, never trust a screenshot anyone sends you showing that payment has been made. Check your own bank account to make sure a payment has gone through."
🔒 “Quite frankly, it’s best for all parties to agree to pay, or be paid, for items in cash and in-person. Ideally in a public place with CCTV coverage."
🔒 "If you’re buying a car, check Carjam.co.nz to see if it’s stolen or if there’s money owed on it.”
A reminder: Suspicious activity can be reported on 105
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