The C. R. A. G report to KCDC on a costing regime for water charging is lacking in costings detail and only quotes the initial costings to be set by Council, not the future price hikes, says Ask Us First petition organiser, Jackie Elliott.
“I am surprised the C.R.A.G committee took such a long time to produce this document and disappointed they were given no mandate to discard water meters as an inappropriate option, considering we have a 75percent leakage problem from Council’s infrastructure and no storage dam facility.
“I am surprised the Committee recommends a sample survey of 1000 households to gauge public reaction to the introduction of water meters. Council don’t grasp the fact that the ratepayers of Kāpiti no longer trust them and are not going to trust the results released by Council of a survey designed by themselves, carried out by their contracted survey company, with results analysed and written by their own media relations staff. Then again this is a Council who have listened to 8 volunteer CRAG Committee members but ignored 7662 petition signatories requesting a referendum,” says Ms Elliott.
“It is heartening though to see the majority of the report given to the debate on whether or not KCDC should hold a ratepayer referendum on the matter. I believe this added layer of consultation to be democratic, fair and unprejudiced, and whatever the final outcome, it is this process the signatories of the Ask Us First petition have requested. It will also be managed by Jude Wadsworth in her role as Electoral officer and members of the public can apply to be official observers to the counting, says Ms Elliott.
“Therefore I once again ask Council Management, the Mayor and elected Councillors to hold a full ratepayer referendum on the introduction of district wide residential and business water meters.
I request that any costing’s quoted relate directly to those quoted in the ‘Crucial report on Water Supply Options’ prepared by the Council appointed Technical Advisory Group. Dated Monday 21 June 2010. A result of many years of ratepayer funded Consultancy.”
1)Maungakotukutuku Dam ($25.1 million)
2) Aquifer storage and recovery ($22.6 million)
3) River Recharge with Groundwater ($18.9 million) and an extended borefield
4) No storage ($29.7 million)
These being the four options selected by Council as Long Term Water Supply Strategy from 31 options on the table at the onset.
Ms Elliott says she would also like to remind Council that the KCDC’s own Water Supply Project Timeline gives specific project mandates for the construction of the above mentioned dam, the next deadline being June 2012, A Resource Consents Decision and Detailed Dam Design Completed by January 2013.
“Ratepayers and residents of Kāpiti await further word of these projects, the ones they were voted in to complete.”