Its a money grab

Anyone have a balcony on their apartment?

Does it encroach over council land (eg, footpaths, roads, etc)?

Well, if you do you might be interested to learn that our council is proposing to substantially increase encroachment fees. Currently everyone pays a flat rate of $11.25 per square metre encroached. The council’s new idea is to set the annual rental fees in proportion to the value of land.

This idea has the potential to impact more than 6,000-odd Wellingtonians (residents and businesses) who have licenses or leases to use legal road or council land for car parking, property access, and outdoor living.

For central city apartments and businesses, this could be a substantial financial burden.

Only a week ago council were attending new methods to raise debt, and before that it was cameras in parking warden vehicles. And on the back of a rates increase.

Rates for Wellington home owners have gone up by an average of 5.75% this year. The cumulative increase for home owners over the last 4 years has been an enormous 20%.

Do you get the feeling our council is on a bit of a revenue drive?

One wonders what will be next, after the election?

Perhaps what is needed is a council that is capable of making smarter decisions over spending priorities. Do we really need a $350k monument, $375k designer toilet, $5 million chinese garden, $2.4 million tarp for the waterfront market, $11 million road works on manners st, recycling charges, or a $1 million donation to whare central?

If we spent our money more sensibly we might have had a carnival, or more investment in our communities.

Its about smarter stewardship of our money.

http://www.capitaltimes.co.nz/article/3243/ItsaCouncilmoneygrab.html, http://www.stuff.co.nz/dominion-post/local/3967976/Wellington-homeowners-may-face-steep-rise-in-council-encroachment-fees, http://wellington.scoop.co.nz/2010/06/wholl-be-voting-for-more-annual-rates-increases, http://www.stuff.co.nz/dominion-post/opinion/3964376/Honesty-is-all-thats-needed, http://www.stuff.co.nz/dominion-post/local/3859978/Ratepayers-commit-another-200-000-for-wharewaka, http://www.stuff.co.nz/dominion-post/local/3599015/Te-Papa-tent-to-cost-2-4m-for-five-years, http://wellington.scoop.co.nz/2010/07/designer-toilets-yes-stopping-a-stink-no/, http://wellington.scoop.co.nz/2010/07/the-misery-of-manners-street-and-willis-street-and-taranaki-street/