Waipā’s fees and charges confirmed
Last week Waipā District Council confirmed its 2021-2022 fees and charges which will come into effect from 1 July 2021.
Each year Council reviews, consults and updates its fees and charges to reflect the cost of providing services to the community. These can range from dog registration fees to the cost of resource or building consent.
Council’s strategy manager Kirsty Downey said the fees are reviewed annually to provide a balance between user pays and ratepayers.
“We apply user fees and charges to fund the operating costs of activities where the people who benefit can be directly identified and charged. The aim is to shift a proportion of the cost to the people who get the most use out of the services, rather than the general ratepayer.”
During the public consultation, Council received 11 submissions, nine in relation to library fees.
“We received submissions both in support and opposed to the proposed library fees. Elected members opted not to make any changes to the fees and charges that went out for consultation.
Our library team researched the fees of 66 other councils across New Zealand, and the new fees structure is now consistent with the majority,” said Downey.
Changes to library fees include removing a loan fee of $0.50 for adult books, the introduction of a new adult book fee of $1.50 (for adult books up to two years old) and the introduction of new fees for internal reserves.
Reductions were made to the hall hire fees for both Kihikihi and Pirongia after receiving a submission requesting they are brought in line with other community hall fees.
“Again consistency is important, which is why the change was made. It’s also important our facilities are competitively priced so they are used by the community,” added Downey.
Council will also introduce some new fees from 1 July including; $460 for inspecting stock underpasses and new half-day hirage fees for the Mighty River Domain. Changes have also been made to fees for mobile traders.
A full list of fees and charges can be found on Council’s website - https://www.waipadc.govt.nz/our-council/finance/feesandcharges
