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Teresa Hattan A drained emergency fund and a desire to push on with core upgrades has Tasman ratepayers facing a seven percent increase to this years rates. Tasman District councillors adopted its draft annual plan at the full council meeting last Thursday, which includes the hefty rise in rates. But mayor Richard Kempthorne says his team has worked hard to keep it as low as possible. “The number we were orginally looking at was a lot higher, there has been a lot of hard work and disscusion about it to get it were it is.” The general rate rise for Tasman ratepayers will be 4.71 percent, with an additional 1.98 percent for the emergency fund and other increases to various targeted rates. The draft annual plan is out for public submission this Friday and Richard says he is expecting some flack from ratepayers. “It is still high and we fully acknowledge that it is high and if ratepayers have suggestions where we can cut spending we will certainly look at that,” he says. Nelson City Council is proposing a rate increase of just 2.5 percent this year, but Tasman is having to replinish its emergency fund, empted by the floods at Tapawera and Golden Bay, and is pushing ahead with core infracsture upgrades it had previously planned says TDC chief executive Paul Wylie. “Nelson council hasn’t had to deal with any disasters and they have cancelled $16 million worth
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Wakefield
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Murchison
Wednesday 16 March 2011
Trolley king back to retain title P5
Council set to increase rates by 7%
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Rotary throws in the boot Christchurch’s Student Army had plenty of gumboots thanks to Richmond Rotary. Rotary members wanted to do something to help those in Christchurch and also wanted to support youth, something Rotary aim to do frequently. So last week it sent gumboots by the hundreds to the Student Volunteer Army. The army is a group of university students who have voluntered to help clean up suburbs badly struck by the Christrchurch earthquake, it started from a Facebook group of students who wanted to help their city. Pip Berkett, president of Richmond Rotary says members got behind the suggestion to provide some appropriate footwear to the volunteers. In total, $1000 was spent immediately to purchase a large quantity of the rubber footwear. When considering transport options members learnt that the gumboots would be transported to a bulk store at Sockburn and there could be a considerable delay before the needy received them. Pip and Heather McKenzie then decided to fill up a van with the gumboots and drive through the night to get the club’s donation to the needy students. Pip says the students were so pleased to receive them they were dragging them [the gumboots] out of the van and putting them on FLYING GUMBOOTS: Richmond Rotary president Pip Berkett with a few pairs their feet as soon as they arrived. of the gumboots, similar to those that Rotary took down to Christchurch to help the “It’s something small we can do Student Army. Photo: Teresa Hattan. but it does make a big difference.”
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