Questions asked about delayed report on water meter charges for Kāpiti Coast
Jackie Elliott, organiser of the petition for a water meter referendum, wants to know why a committee set up by the KCDC to work out a fair charging regime for meters has failed to deliver the report allegedly due last month.
Ms Elliott and her team gathered nearly 8,000 signatures for the ratepayer referendum on water meters.
She says the Charging Regime Advisory Committee (CRAG) report was due to be released before the Annual Plan process so that the ratepayers were told about the proposed charges before they wrote submissions on meters.
Jackie Elliott says the latest information she has had is that the CRAG. report won’t now be available until somewhere around June – and that’s after the public submission and consultation process is over.
‘Promises broken’
“Once again promises have been broken and democracy has been tossed aside,she says.”
“The Mayor caused an uproar last year when she stated the public were not in a position to vote yes or no in a referendum decision on water meters without having a chance to consider the charges recommended in the CRAG report. Yet she expects her Council to make the same decision.”
Ms Elliott says it’s also worrying that Cr Ross Church, chair of the KCDC Corporate Finance Committee, has publicly told another Council member, Cr Gurunathan, not to change his mind and vote against water metering.
Ms Elliott’s queries
Ms Elliott asks: “Are other Councillors under the same pressure from the Chair?” I ask Cr. Gurunathan for his reply to Cr Church’s very undemocratic request.”
“The Mayor has also stated in a press release ‘ the KCDC WILL proceed with district-wide water metering as an austerity measure.’
“Is this the fair, democratic and transparent decision-making that current Council members all campaigned for in the last election?”
I reckon Jackie should do another petition, requesting the elected officials in KCDC and all staff stand down and we re elect a new council.
When is enough enough ??