A recent RNZ survey showed Carterton was the most expensive place to live after mortgages had been paid off. 

It costs $9434 a year inclusive of rates, power, and insurance. 

Local Democracy Reporting has asked Carterton mayoral candidates what they will do to ensure rates are kept affordable for residents, while maintaining an acceptable level of service. 

Simon Casey (also standing for At Large ward) Carterton has a relatively high rates bill because it has invested in needed infrastructure but the cost is borne by a small ratings base, so the cost per ratepayer is high. 

But there are ways to reduce the rates burden of which I suggest the following. 

Benchmark our council against others to ensure we are running a cost-effective and efficient service. 

Consider whether some services can be moved off rates to user pays so the ratepayer has more choice.

Grow the ratings base by increasing the population. 

But that may require more investment to make Carterton a more desirable place to live. 

A conundrum. Get the government to pay their fair share of costs for example rural road maintenance. 

Apart from weather events, most of the damage is caused by trucks. 

Ratepayers should not be subsidising this. 

For the long term, I am a strong proponent for the government sharing a portion of GST with the council from businesses in their area. 

This would provide alternate revenue and reduce the rates burden. 

It would encourage councils to grow business and therefore employment. 

All councils should unite to push hard for this as the current funding model is clearly not working.

Steve Cretney (also standing for At Large ward) If elected as Mayor, I want to lead a team that makes smart financial decisions today, to secure a more sustainable future, and that begins with looking at ‘levels of service’ and establishing our community’s vision and priorities leading into the next Long-Term Plan process. 

Responsible financial management builds trust and credibility within our community and I will continue to push for improvements in council’s procurement processes, making sure capital projects remain within approved budgets and ratepayers receive value for money. 

I will lead a council with an increased focus on ensuring management are fiscally prudent when managing essential services like infrastructure maintenance & renewals, waste management, and community facilities. 

One of our district’s greatest opportunities at present, exists from supplying raw water to the Waingawa Industrial Estate, thus generating new revenue to help offset rate increases. 

The new water storage project could then see council supply untreated water to farmers and the agriculture sector, significantly increasing the productivity and viability of their businesses, as well as providing an economic boost to Carterton. 

Further opportunities to generate revenue exist in the waste management space, and a trial is already underway, looking into turning our sludge into valuable compost. 

Brian Deller (also standing for At Large ward) Rates affordability is something every council struggles with and Carterton is no exception. 

I am very concerned about this and I’m focused on keeping costs down, especially for the high number of residents on superannuation and fixed incomes. 

There are things we can do to achieve this. Issues we face include increased insurance costs, inflation, unfunded government mandates, and increased cost of roading materials. 

I backed combining with Masterton, South Wairarapa and Tararua under Local Water Done Well to save ratepayers money in the long run, but it means less income for councils. With less income, we need to focus on delivering services and maintaining infrastructure within budget and minimising the burden on ratepayers. 

There is no room to fund non-essential projects through rates. We need to rally Central Government for funding, and support community-led projects funded by grants where possible. 

I am committed to sticking to core infrastructure projects to effectively manage costs and prevent unexpected expenses down the track. 

We need to keep any rates increases to an absolute minimum, so any projects outside required maintenance, safety improvements, and beyond council's agreed service levels will require thorough research, debate around the council table, and public consultation where possible. 

-LDR is local body journalism co-funded by RNZ and NZ On Air.

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