Council approves consultation on fees and charges

Horowhenua District Council is seeking public feedback on proposed fees for food premises subject to the Food Act 2014 and for planning services that require resource consent under the Resource Management Act 1991.

Council approved public consultation on these proposed fees and charges for the 2018/19 financial year at its meeting on Wednesday 7 March.

Council is required to consult when setting these fees under the Local Government Act 2002.

No changes to last year’s fees are proposed for premises subject to the Food Act. These fees recover costs of registration, verification, compliance and monitoring of food premises.

However, several changes are being proposed to fees for planning services.

Resource Management Planner Robinson Dembetembe said amendments to the Resource Management Act in 2017 created some additional activities, and new fees were needed to cover the costs of processing applications.

The amendments include processing fast-track land use applications within 10 working days, the exemption of activities on a land boundary from needing resource consent if a neighbour’s approval is provided, and the option for Council to exempt activities involving marginal or temporary rule breaches from needing resource consent.

A new fee is proposed for processing fast-track land use applications within 10 working days, and new deposit fees are proposed for exemptions.

Copies of the proposed Fees & Charges 2018/19 are available from the Have Your Say page of Council’s website, www.horowhenua.govt.nz, or from Council’s customer service centres: Council offices or Te Takeretanga o Kura-hau-pō in Levin, Te Awahou Nieuwe Stroom in Foxton or the Shannon Library.

Submissions can be emailed to recordsprocessing@horowhenua.govt.nz, delivered to Council’s customer service centres, or posted to: Proposed Fees & Charges 2018/19 Submission, Horowhenua District Council, Private Bag 4002, Horowhenua 5540.

The consultation is open from Friday 9 March to 5pm on Monday 9 April 2018.

ENDS

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