Last updated 06:27, June 27 2018
Renee Clayton
James McNabb reads his letter to the Rodney Local Board expressing his frustration.
James McNabb reads his letter to the Rodney Local Board expressing his frustration.
A Wellsford superannuitant says he will refuse to pay Rodney's targeted transport rate, saying he has "lost faith" in local government.
On May 24 the recommendation to introduce a targeted transport rate in Rodney of $150, or $2.90 per week, was passed and put in the hands of the Governing Body who approved it on May 29.
James McNabb, 89, says he will refuse to pay the rate and urges other ratepayers to do the same thing despite it appearing in their rates notices on July 1.
James McNabb says he will not pay the $150 rate.
"I have no faith that any work will get done. Mr Goff promised on his election to maintain rates at 2.5 per cent, add on all target rates such as this and I would suggest the increase is well 8-10 per cent or more."
McNabb said he has lost faith in the council and asks how do it expects low income or fixed income citizens to find the finances to meet the demands.
In May the local board voted 6-3 in favour of the rate saying the $46 million raised over 10 years would to go towards things like park and ride facilities, footpaths and sealing roads, this is alongside the Auckland Transport Regional Land Transport Plan projects.
McNabb said he has no faith in this happening.
"I have been living here 14 years and nothing has been done. We have no buses and the footpaths are unsafe and horrible, why should we pay?
"All council seem to know is tax and spend, it's not good enough. Our money is hard-earned and if they want it we need to know exact costs and time frames," he said.
Rodney Local Board deputy chairman Phelan Pirrie, who voted in favour of the targeted rate, said there was a unanimous decision by the board to go out to public consultation on the targeted rate in December.
"There were 1376 pieces of written feedback from Rodney residents and 52 per cent of those were in fully or partially in support of the targeted rate," he said.
But McNabb said the decision was "undemocratic".
"Majority of public submissions were against the rate where 43 per cent were against and 36 per cent supported and 21 per cent partially supported."
Pirrie said the targeted rate will deliver bus services from Wellsford to Warkworth, Riverhead to Westgate, Huapai to Albany and Helensville to Silverdale via Kaukapakapa.
He said there will also be Park'n'Rides in both Warkworth and Kumeu and a range of much needed footpaths across Rodney.
"Our first priority for Wellsford will be getting the bus service up and running and we are meeting with Auckland Transport to discuss this over the next few weeks, and hopefully we will be able to announce what's happening in a month or two."
Wellsford's representative for the Rodney Local Board, Colin Smith voted against the rate and previously said northern Rodney ratepayers have been subjected to targeted rates for the last 40 years.
"Generational commitment to rates and subsequent targeted rates on our communities have seen little or no change in roading infrastructure in our areas.
"History has shown northern Rodney residents that targeted rates never reach the point of their original intention and that somehow the intended funds become eroded through increased costs," he said in a statement when the targeted rate was proposed.
Smith added that Rodney carries the bulk of Auckland's unsealed roads as a result of under-investment and continued amalgamation into urban areas.
"These unsealed roads front longstanding generational ratepayers and carry tens of millions of dollars of production to the whole of New Zealand and underpin our communities.
"I think it is a fair assumption that every ratepayer expects to see a return on their rates investment and the rural communities are no different," he added.