Media Release from Paekakariki Community Board

Sunday 12August 2007

Each Community Must Decide Water Meters for Itself

Paekakariki Community Board chairman Adrian Webster, says that each of the Kapiti District’s communities should be empowered to make its own decision about water meters.

He says that any Council decision for the whole district would be completely unfair.

“The district has three separate and distinct water catchments. The circumstances and water resources of each are quite different, and the best way to take account of these differences is to allow the communities reliant on each water supply to make decisions for themselves over whether they want water metering,” said Mr Webster.

He said that Council calculated the cost of putting water meters as adding an extra $48/year on everyone’s rates, to cover an $8million loan simply to pay for installing meters across the district. "The cost to ratepayers of changing from a fixed water levy to a meter based charge has not been worked out,” he said.

“Water metering has quite rightly become an election issue and questions need to be put to all Council and Community Board candidates.

“The question for Council candidates is ‘do you agree that Council should delegate decisions about water meters to the four Community Boards?’

“The question for Community Board candidates is ‘would your Board conduct an indicative referendum on water metering after all the information on costs and benefits have been widely discussed in your community?’” said Mr Webster.

He said the answers to these questions would disclose where candidates stand on the issues, enabling the electorate to cast informed votes on a contentious issue.

ENDS

© Scoop Media