Carterton councillors may rethink 'nuclear' rates option

Carterton councillors appear unlikely to greenlight a "nuclear" rates option to pay for the maintenance of rural roads.

The council wrapped up its two-day rates review hearing on Thursday mid-deliberations and would meet again next Wednesday to decide next steps.

It had consulted on rates changes that would have resulted in rates rising more than 1200% for forestry owners and almost 100% for dairy farmers to help pay for the damage done by heavy trucks on rural roads.

During deliberations on Thursday, councillors agreed that the current funding model to pay for maintaining rural roads was "broken", but none were keen to see the changes they proposed become an immediate reality.

Councillor Brian Deller said it was important the council didn't "rush into any half-cocked solutions", while councillor Steve Laurence likened the proposed changes to a "nuclear weapon", if it was applied at the level suggested.

Councillor Simon Casey agreed and said although rural ratepayers needed to pay more towards roading, "the amount is a bit of a nuclear option at the moment and is unpalatable".

Councillors heard from more than 40 submitters across the forestry and farming sector who spoke passionately against the council's proposed rates review, citing inaccurate modelling and unfair outcomes.

Despite this, all acknowledged funding rural roading fairly was a problem that needed solving.

The council's rates review proposal included introducing a targeted roading rate and increasing the rural differential from 0.8 to 1.0 (the amount rural ratepayers pay compared to household and commercial rates).

Under the proposal, forestry owners faced average rate rises of 1260% to help fund roading, and dairy farmers faced increases of 92% on average.

About 4700 residential and lifestyle properties would have had rates decreases of 14%.

Submitter Colin Jacobs of Lewis Tucker said the modelling the council used to inform its proposal didn't go into enough detail to determine the real impact different activities had on the local roading network.

He also raised concerns that properties classed as mixed use that had forests for harvesting were not accounted for in the targeted charge.

Carterton resident Roger Styles, who was a former deputy mayor of Hutt City Council, said he spoke in support of the "silent majority" of Carterton townsfolk and said the proposal was fair.

"Whenever you do something popular, no one says nothing," he said.

"As soon as you do something unpopular, the room fills up."

Liam Walker, a 24-year-old employed in the forestry industry said he would have never considered moving to Wairarapa had it not offered career opportunities for his expertise.

"In a region where young people tend to leave, forestry is bringing young professionals to area," he said.

The proposal would drive forestry out of the region to where it was more economical, impacting local jobs, he said.

Harry Livesey, of the Wairarapa Farm Forestry Association said "no rational council would bring this [proposal] through" and that the modelling was "not robust enough to impose a 1200% increase on ratepayers".

"Should this go forward, it will go straight to judicial review on process alone," he said.

Malte Coulmann, of the Southern North Island Wood Council and Forestry Enterprises, said the sector was "prepared to pay its fair share" and was "not seeking a free ride".

But this was a national problem that needed a national solution, he said.

The council would reconvene on November 18.