AGENDA
Ordinary meeting of the
Governance Committee
Thursday 7 June 2018
Commencing at 9.00am
Council Chamber
Civic House
110 Trafalgar Street, Nelson
Membership: Councillor Ian Barker (Chairperson), Her Worship the Mayor Rachel Reese, Councillors Mel Courtney, Bill Dahlberg (Deputy Chairperson), Gaile Noonan, Mike Rutledge, Tim Skinner and Stuart Walker
Guidelines for councillors attending the meeting, who are not members of the Committee, as set out in Standing Order 12.1:
· All councillors, whether or not they are members of the Committee, may attend Committee meetings
· At the discretion of the Chair, councillors who are not Committee members may speak, or ask questions about a matter.
· Only Committee members may vote on any matter before the Committee
It is good practice for both Committee members and non-Committee members to declare any interests in items on the agenda. They should withdraw from the room for discussion and voting on any of these items.
Governance Committee
7 June 2018
1. Apologies
1.1 An apology has been received from Her Worship the Mayor Rachel Reese
2. Confirmation of Order of Business
3.1 Updates to the Interests Register
3.2 Identify any conflicts of interest in the agenda
Document number M3440
Recommendation
That the Governance Committee
Confirms the minutes of the meeting of the Governance Committee, held on 19 April 2018, as a true and correct record.
6. Governance Committee Status Report - 7 June 2018 14 - 16
Document number R9350
Recommendation
That the Governance Committee
Receives the report Governance Committee Status Report - 7 June 2018 (R9350) and its attachment (A1160658).
7. Chairperson's Report 17 - 18
Document number R9363
Recommendation
That the Governance Committee
Receives the report Chairperson's Report (R9363); and
Agrees to accept the offer of NextGen to host a workshop involving councillors and appropriate staff with a view of investigating opportunities for the city.
8. Rates Remission for Land Affected by the 1 February 2018 Weather Event 19 - 36
Document number R9352
Recommendation
That the Governance Committee
Receives the report Rates Remission for Land Affected by the 1 February 2018 Weather Event (R9352) and its attachment (A1551142).
Recommendation to Council
That the Council
Approves that the 1 February 2018 weather event qualifies as a natural calamity for the purposes of applying the Rates Remission Policy for Land Affected by Natural Calamity; and
Approves the criteria for assessing rates remission for affected properties and the application process; and
Notes that a summary of approved applications and the total value of rates remitted will be provided to the Council later in 2018.
Public Excluded Business
Recommendation
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Confirms in accordance with section 48(5) of the Local Government Official Information and Meetings Act 1987, (names to be confirmed) from the Nelson Cycle Lift Society remain after the public has been excluded, for Item 2 of the Public Excluded agenda (Nelson Cycle Lift Society - Pre-commercial business case phase two funding), as they have knowledge that will assist the Council; and Notes in accordance with section 48(6) of the Local Government Official Information and Meetings Act 1987, the knowledge that (names to be confirmed) possess relates to the Nelson Cycle Lift Society’s activities. |
Recommendation
That the Governance Committee
Excludes the public from the following parts of the proceedings of this meeting.
The general subject of each matter to be considered while the public is excluded, the reason for passing this resolution in relation to each matter and the specific grounds under section 48(1) of the Local Government Official Information and Meetings Act 1987 for the passing of this resolution are as follows:
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Item |
General subject of each matter to be considered |
Reason for passing this resolution in relation to each matter |
Particular interests protected (where applicable) |
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1 |
Governance Committee Meeting - Public Excluded Minutes - 19 April 2018 |
Section 48(1)(a) The public conduct of this matter would be likely to result in disclosure of information for which good reason exists under section 7. |
The withholding of the information is necessary: · Section 7(2)(a) To protect the privacy of natural persons, including that of a deceased person · Section 7(2)(h) To enable the local authority to carry out, without prejudice or disadvantage, commercial activities · Section 7(2)(i) To enable the local authority to carry on, without prejudice or disadvantage, negotiations (including commercial and industrial negotiations) |
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2 |
Nelson Cycle Lift Society - Pre-commercial business case phase two funding
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Section 48(1)(a) The public conduct of this matter would be likely to result in disclosure of information for which good reason exists under section 7 |
The withholding of the information is necessary: · Section 7(2)(b)(ii) To protect information where the making available of the information would be likely unreasonably to prejudice the commercial position of the person who supplied or who is the subject of the information · Section 7(2)(i) To enable the local authority to carry on, without prejudice or disadvantage, negotiations (including commercial and industrial negotiations) |
Governance Committee Minutes - 19 April 2018
Minutes of a meeting of the Governance Committee
Held in the Council Chamber, Civic House, 110 Trafalgar Street, Nelson
On Thursday 19 April 2018, commencing at 9.03am
Present: Councillor I Barker (Chairperson), Councillors M Courtney, B Dahlberg (Deputy Chairperson), G Noonan, M Rutledge and T Skinner
In Attendance: Councillors B McGurk, Chief Executive (P Dougherty), Group Manager Infrastructure (A Louverdis), Group Manager Environmental Management (C Barton), Group Manager Community Services (C Ward), Group Manager Corporate Services (N Harrison), Acting Group Manager Strategy and Communications (N McDonald), Governance Adviser (E Stephenson) and Youth Councillors L Funaki and H Rose
Apologies: Councillor Matheson
1. Apologies
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Resolved GOV/2018/011 That the Governance Committee Receives and accepts the apology from Councillor Matheson. Noonan/Rutledge Carried |
2. Confirmation of Order of Business
There was a change to the order of items in the Public Excluded section of the meeting.
3. Interests
There were no updates to the Interests Register, and no interests with items on the agenda were declared.
4. Public Forum
There was no public forum.
5. Confirmation of Minutes
5.1 8 March 2018
Document number M3325, agenda pages 8 - 12 refer.
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Resolved GOV/2018/012 That the Governance Committee Confirms the minutes of the meeting of the Governance Committee, held on 8 March 2018, as a true and correct record. Dahlberg/Courtney Carried |
6. Status Report - Governance - 19 April 2018
Document number R9242, agenda pages 13 - 14 refer.
Acting Group Manager Community Services, Roger Ball, said that a report on the Gondola would be provided for the 7 June Governance Committee meeting. The Chair noted that he and the Mayor had met with the group and the feeling was positive.
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Resolved GOV/2018/013 That the Governance Committee Receives the Status Report Governance Committee 19 April 2018 (R9242) and its attachment (A1160658) Courtney/Rutledge Carried |
7. Chairperson's Report
There was no Chairperson’s report
8. Sister Cities Co-ordinator Report
Document number R9231, agenda pages 15 - 17 refer.
Ms Gail Collingwood provided a summary of her report. Ms Collingwood said that Sister Cities Group would be inviting a representative of the Youth Council to sit on the Sister Cities group.
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Resolved GOV/2018/014 That the Governance Committee Receives the report Sister Cities Co-ordinator Report (R9231). Dahlberg/Noonan Carried |
9. Nelmac Limited Half yearly report to 31 December 2017
Document number R8901, agenda pages 18 - 25 refer.
Group Manager Corporate Services, Nikki Harrison, spoke to the report, noting that the Board would present later and answered questions regarding tendering. In response to a question, Ms Harrison said that commercial aspects would be best discussed in the public excluded section of the meeting, for the reasons included in the exclusion of the public motion.
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Resolved GOV/2018/015 That the Governance Committee Receives the report Nelmac Limited Half yearly report to 31 December 2017 (R8901) and its attachment (A1922538). Courtney/Skinner Carried |
10. Bishop Suter Trust Half Yearly Report to 31 December 2017 and Draft Statement of Intent 2018/19
Document number R9098, agenda pages 26 - 84 refer.
Acting Group Manager Community Services, Roger Ball, spoke to the report. He noted that the Draft Statement of Intent (SOI) assumed that additional funding would be confirmed in the LTP, and that if this was not the case, then the Draft SOI would need to be brought back to the Committee.
Craig Potton, Julie Catchpole, John Hambleton and Jane De Seu from the Bishop Suter Trust were present for this item and a PowerPoint presentation was provided. The Trust representatives answered questions and discussion took place regarding the Trust’s strategic approach, stretch targets, policy of collecting seminal works, revenue, visitor numbers, NCC and TDC contributions, donations, volunteers, energy costs, reducing consumption, solar energy, building maintenance, the possibility of charging entry fees for visitors from outside the region and that the Museum was a community asset.
Attendance: Her Worship the Mayor R Reese left the meeting at 9.50a.m.
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Resolved GOV/2018/016 That the Governance Committee Receives the report Bishop Suter Trust Half Yearly Report to 31 December 2017 and Draft Statement of Intent 2018/19 (R9098) and its attachments (A1923166, A1878583 and A1923167). Rutledge/Noonan Carried |
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Attachments 1 A1953672 - Suter Trust PowerPoint presentation |
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Recommendation to Council GOV/2018/017 That the Council Agrees that the Bishop Suter Trust Statement of Intent 2018/19 (A1923167) meets Council’s expectations and is approved as the final Statement of Intent for 2018/19, subject to confirmation of funding for the Trust in the Long Term Plan 2018-28. Courtney/Dahlberg Carried |
11. Nelson Regional Development Agency Half Yearly Report to 31 December 2017 and Draft Statement of Intent 2018/19
Document number R9099, agenda pages 85 - 113 refer.
Mark Rawson, CE and Martin Byrne, Director, Nelson Regional Development Agency (NRDA) were present for this item. Group Manager Corporate Services Nikki Harrison spoke briefly to the agenda report. Questions and discussion included NRDA’s strategic development approach, technological change, key changes proposed, funding, the private sector, integration of the visitor attraction platform and the talent attraction and retention platform, NRDA’s partners and its role as a facilitator to bring groups together, seasonality, shared services - collaboration and co-location, sustainability and solar activities.
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Resolved GOV/2018/018 That the Governance Committee: Receives the report Nelson Regional Development Agency Half Yearly Report to 31 December 2017 and Draft Statement of Intent 2018/19 (R9099) and its attachments (A1923314, A1878584, and A1943599).
Dahlberg/Rutledge Carried |
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Recommendation to Council GOV/2018/019 That the Council: Agrees that the Nelson Regional Development Agency’s draft Statement of Intent 2018/19 (A1943599) meets Council’s expectations and is approved as the final Statement of Intent for 2018/19. Noonan/Dahlberg Carried |
12. Exclusion of the Public
Rob Gunn, and Lee Babe, of Nelmac, were in attendance for Item 2 of the Public Excluded agenda to answer questions and, accordingly, the following resolution was required to be passed:
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Resolved GOV/2018/020 That the Governance Committee Confirms in accordance with section 48(5) of the Local Government Official Information and Meetings Act 1987, Rob Gunn and Lee Babe from Nelmac remain after the public has been excluded, for Item 2 of the Public Excluded agenda (Nelmac Limited six monthly presentation), as they have knowledge that will assist the Council; and Notes in accordance with section 48(6) of the Local Government Official Information and Meetings Act 1987, the knowledge that Rob Gunn and Lee Babe possess relates to the Nelmac Limited six monthly presentation.
Courtney/Dahlberg Carried |
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Resolved GOV/2018/021 That the Governance Committee Excludes the public from the following parts of the proceedings of this meeting. The general subject of each matter to be considered while the public is excluded, the reason for passing this resolution in relation to each matter and the specific grounds under section 48(1) of the Local Government Official Information and Meetings Act 1987 for the passing of this resolution are as follows: Courtney/Dahlberg Carried |
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Item |
General subject of each matter to be considered |
Reason for passing this resolution in relation to each matter |
Particular interests protected (where applicable) |
|
1 |
Governance Committee Meeting - Public Excluded Minutes - 8 March 2018 |
Section 48(1)(a) The public conduct of this matter would be likely to result in disclosure of information for which good reason exists under section 7. |
The withholding of the information is necessary: · Section 7(2)(a) To protect the privacy of natural persons, including that of a deceased person |
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2 |
Nelmac Limited six monthly strategic presentation from the Board (Rob Gunn/Lee Babe)
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Section 48(1)(a) The public conduct of this matter would be likely to result in disclosure of information for which good reason exists under section 7 |
The withholding of the information is necessary: · Section 7(2)(h) To enable the local authority to carry out, without prejudice or disadvantage, commercial activities |
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3 |
Nelmac director appointment
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Section 48(1)(a) The public conduct of this matter would be likely to result in disclosure of information for which good reason exists under section 7 |
The withholding of the information is necessary: · Section 7(2)(a) To protect the privacy of natural persons, including that of a deceased person |
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4 |
Nelmac Limited Draft Statement of Intent 2018/19
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Section 48(1)(a) The public conduct of this matter would be likely to result in disclosure of information for which good reason exists under section 7 |
The withholding of the information is necessary: · Section 7(2)(h) To enable the local authority to carry out, without prejudice or disadvantage, commercial activities · Section 7(2)(i) To enable the local authority to carry on, without prejudice or disadvantage, negotiations (including commercial and industrial negotiations) |
The meeting went into public excluded session at 11.08a.m. and resumed in public session at 12.33p.m.
13. Re-admittance of the Public
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Resolved GOV/2018/027 That the Governance Committee Re-admits the public to the meeting.
Noonan/Dahlberg Carried |
There being no further business the meeting ended at 12.34p.m.
Confirmed as a correct record of proceedings:
Chairperson
Date
Item 6: Governance Committee Status Report - 7 June 2018
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Governance Committee 7 June 2018 |
REPORT R9350
Governance Committee Status Report - 7 June 2018
1. Purpose of Report
1.1 To provide an update on the status of actions requested and pending.
2. Recommendation
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Receives the report Governance Committee Status Report - 7 June 2018 (R9350) and its attachment (A1160658). |
Elaine Stephenson
Governance Adviser
Attachments
Attachment 1: A1160658 - Status Report - Governance Committee 7 June 2018 ⇩
Item 7: Chairperson's Report
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Governance Committee 7 June 2018 |
REPORT R9363
Chairperson's Report
1. Nelson is now rightfully acknowledged as the sunniest city in New Zealand and enjoys attributes that give it an edge over all other cities in the quest to be a practically smart sustainable community, which is healthy and energy efficient. I am enthusiastic about the possibilities for us.
2. Our Long Term Plan 2018-28 includes significant expenditure on environmental management over the ten year period of the plan with emphasis on minimising activities leading to negative climate outcomes. To achieve these outcomes it is important to take real practical steps to sustainably and cheaply power our council and city activities. This is the way I organise my sustainable lifestyle.
3. I have met and discussed a portfolio of projects with representatives of a local Social Enterprise organisation which could provide us with an opportunity to firmly establish Nelson as New Zealand's most sustainable city. The company generates 100% renewable energy and widely retails electricity around New Zealand. The retail price is one of the lowest and it doesn't provide returns to corporate shareholders as its profit is gifted to the community, direct to schools, charities and community organisations.
4. This unique and innovative company is called the NextGen Group and is based in Nelson. All its energy generation is 100% renewable.
5. There are real opportunities for our Council and Nelson citizens. I list below brief examples and details:-
· Large scale solar farms on Council land not being used for other activities.
· Providing the chance for domestic households to enjoy solar power directly from solar farms, without the need for expensive installations on roofs and at significant cost savings to the consumer.
· Supply of electricity to Council buildings at very cheap rates.
· Solar cycle shelters to provide electric bike charging and local Wi-Fi access.
· Solar generation at sites such as pump stations and treatment plants to lower Opex costs.
· Battery systems to make smart use of fluctuations in electricity to lower line charges, with or without installing solar panels.
· The roll out of residential, commercial and lamppost charging systems for electric vehicles.
6. Being aware of land not being used at the airport I saw an opportunity for a solar farm and on discovering that there are some very large airport solar farms overseas, I facilitated discussions between the Company and the Airport company. NextGen was the provider of the existing E V panels at the airport.
7. It will be great if this opportunity can be set up at our airport, as apparently other airports are getting involved. Our smart little city image will be enhanced if we can promote and achieve solar power benefits.
8. Citizens will be able to purchase solar panels and enjoy energy cost savings without having them on their own roofs. Nelson could boast being New Zealand’s most sustainable city, whilst also saving significant sums for ratepayers, households and businesses.
9. NextGen has offered an introductory workshop to outline its core services and I recommend that the Governance Committee agrees to accept the offer of NextGen to host a workshop involving councillors and appropriate staff with a view of investigating opportunities for the city.
10. Recommendation
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Receives the report Chairperson's Report (R9363); and Agrees to accept the offer of NextGen to host a workshop involving councillors and appropriate staff with a view of investigating opportunities for the city. |
Councillor Ian Barker
Governance Committee Chairperson
Attachments
Item 8: Rates Remission for Land Affected by the 1 February 2018 Weather Event
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Governance Committee 7 June 2018 |
REPORT R9352
Rates Remission for Land Affected by the 1 February 2018 Weather Event
1. Purpose of Report
1.1 To confirm that the weather events of 1 February 2018 qualify as a natural calamity event for the purpose of applying the Rates Remission Policy for Land Affected by Natural Calamity (the Policy).
1.2 To confirm the methodology under which rates remission applications, for ratepayers affected by the 1 February 2018 weather event, are assessed under the Policy.
2. Recommendation
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Receives the report Rates Remission for Land Affected by the 1 February 2018 Weather Event (R9352) and its attachment (A1551142). |
Recommendation to Council
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Approves that the 1 February 2018 weather event qualifies as a natural calamity for the purposes of applying the Rates Remission Policy for Land Affected by Natural Calamity; and Approves the criteria for assessing rates remission for affected properties and the application process; and Notes that a summary of approved applications and the total value of rates remitted will be provided to the Council later in 2018. |
3. Background
3.1 Council’s Rates Remission Policy provides Council with a mechanism to provide rates relief for landowners who have been affected by natural events through the section on Rates Remissions for Land Affected by Natural Calamity. A full version of the Policy has been attached (Attachment 1).
3.2 The Policy allows Council the discretion to remit part, or all of the rates charged on land detrimentally affected by natural calamity, such as erosion, subsidence, submersion or earthquake and is aimed at aiding ratepayers most adversely affected.
3.3 To be eligible for a remission an application from the ratepayer must be received within six months of the event. Since 1 February 2018, the Council has received six applications for properties at Monaco seeking rates remission as a result of damage incurred by ex-cyclone Fehi on 1 February 2018.
3.4 The Policy requires that each natural calamity be considered for rates remission by Council on a case by case basis. The Policy also states that the extent of any remission can be determined by Council or its delegated officers. Council has previously granted delegation for the extent of any remission to the Group Manager Environmental Management and Group Manager Corporate Services (LGR20).
4. Discussion
Determining if the February 2018 weather event qualifies
4.1 The Rates Remission Policy for Land Affected by Natural Calamity establishes the framework for determining if an event qualifies for rates remission. The Policy states;
The Council may remit wholly, or in part, any rate or charge made and levied in respect of the land, if:
1. Land is detrimentally affected by natural calamity such as erosion, subsidence, submersion or earthquake and:
1. as a result dwellings or buildings previously habitable were made uninhabitable; or
2. the activity for which the land and/or buildings were used prior to the calamity is unable to be undertaken or continued.
4.2 For the purposes of the Policy (section 1.1) “uninhabitable” means a building that cannot be used for the purpose it was intended, due to s124 notice of conditions being issued under the Building Act 2004. Section 1.2 is less prescriptive.
4.3 The remnants of ex-cyclone Fehi coincided with a low pressure weather system, king tides and heavy rain. The combination of these events resulted in significant damage to some coastal areas and civil defence response and recovery actions. The Council also issued a number of s124 notices, including for the Boathouse and Boatshed at Rocks Road and, some Council owned properties.
4.4 Given the severity of the effects on properties it is recommended that the 1 February 2018 weather event is classified as a natural calamity event, for the purposes of applying the Rates Remission Policy for Land Affected by Natural Calamity.
Criteria for a rates remission: Section 1.1 of the Policy
4.5 The following criteria will be applied to determine qualifying properties for the 1 February 2018 weather events under section 1.1 of the Policy:
· The property was issued a Section 124 (s124) notice, and the property was uninhabitable for 30 days or more from the issue of that notice.
4.6 Circumstances not considered to be eligible for a rate remission include:
4.6.1 When the issued s124 has been lifted within 29 days and the dwelling or building can be reoccupied. The reason for this is the policy is aimed at assisting those ratepayers most adversely affected, such as those who cannot return to their property for one month or more.
4.6.2 Where a dwelling can be occupied and the occupier is still able to utilise the greater part of their land and/or activity for which the land is used can be recommenced within 30 days. This includes:
· where the dwelling or building can be occupied and the occupier is able to access Council services for which rates and charges are levied;
· where the property is affected such that the activity for which the land is used is unable to be continued, revaluation of the affected property will ensure that rates are adjusted in line with the property value for the following 1 July.
4.6.3 Where a s124 notice has been lifted but the occupier does not feel safe returning to the property. This is because other ratepayers should not be required to cover rates when a property has been deemed safe to occupy.
4.6.4 Where a ratepayer requests a remission as the cost of the event to them has been significant, and asks the Council to consider the impact on them individually. This is because the Policy does not cover rates remission for people experiencing financial hardship.
4.6.5 Where any losses arising to the property including for loss of use of, or income from the use of, the property are covered by insurance.
4.7 Council officers undertook rapid assessments of a number of houses at Monaco on 2 February 2018, including all of the six properties that are seeking a rates remission from the Council. Although a range of damage and inundation was noted at the houses assessed by officers the level of damage noted did not trigger the need for a s124 notice to be issued.
Criteria for a rates remission: Section 1.2 of the Policy
4.8 Although the properties do not fit under the first part of the Policy, in that no s124 notices were issued, the properties were significantly affected and therefore officers recommend that consideration be made under section 1.2 of the Policy. This part of the Policy is more flexible in that it provides for a remission if the activity for which the land and/or buildings were used prior to the calamity is unable to be undertaken or continued.
4.9 The applications under consideration all describe considerable damage to property of a nature which would reasonably be considered to render these properties uninhabitable. However, in the absence of a s124 notice there is no evidence for Council to rely on. Likewise there is no evidence as to how long each property will be, or was, uninhabitable. There is also no information about insurance coverage and whether the applicants will receive any compensation for loss of use under an insurance policy.
4.10 It is difficult for Council to make a decision about rates remission based on available information. There is also a risk of setting a precedent for how applications lacking a s124 notice will be handled in the future. Although the cost to ratepayers of these six remission applications is relatively minor there is potential for more to be received for this and future weather events.
4.11 It is therefore proposed that officers seek a property assessment report, such as from a builder or insurance provider, which confirms that the ratepayer could not live at the property for the dates supplied and that remissions only be made for properties which are the ratepayer’s primary residence. If Council approves this approach, individual applications will then be determined under the delegation to the Group Manager Corporate Services and Group Manager Environmental Management jointly. Officers would also notify all building owners of properties issued with a s124 notice and provide communications through Our Nelson, to notify ratepayers of the opportunity to apply for a rates remission for this event.
4.12 If Council approves that this event qualifies as a natural calamity and confirms the methodology by which remissions can be made, officers will bring a summary of approved applications and the total value of rates remitted to Council later this year.
Level of remission
4.13 If Council approves rates remissions for the February weather event, the remissions would be based on the following:
4.13.1 Rates would be remitted from the date of the event, 1 February 2018, until the time that the property could be occupied;
4.13.2 Rates would be remitted on a pro rata basis for services that could not be used when a property was unable to be occupied as a result of the event. This includes the following charges:
· Water (fixed charge portion)
· Stormwater
· Wastewater.
4.14 There is no remission on the General Rate or Uniform Annual General Charge (being part of the General rate) as these charges fund services that are not property specific, such as roads, libraries, parks and community facilities.
4.15 The annual property charges including GST for these services for 2017/18 are:
· $287.64 – Stormwater charge
· $407.97 – Wastewater charge
· $189.32 – Water line charge
$884.93 Total charges.
4.16 This works out to be a remission of $17.02 (including GST) per week for each property eligible under the Policy. In respect to the current financial year, for ratepayers who are able to return to their properties by the end of May (17 weeks) the remission would amount to $289.34. For those that are not able to return until the end of June (21 weeks) the amount would be $357.42 per property.
4.17 The Policy requires those seeking a rates remission to make an application within six months following an event. As the event was on 1 February 2018, the six month expiry date for applications would be 1 August 2018. Therefore there may be further applications for rates remission which need to be taken into consideration.
5. Options
5.1 The Committee has the following options:
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Option 1: Recommends approval of the approach to rates remission. |
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Advantages |
· Council is responsive to community requests for assistance · Would be supported by the ratepayers who have made an application for rates relief |
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Risks and Disadvantages |
· May be seen to set a precedent for the handling of future similar applications · Would require additional unbudgeted funding |
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Option 2: Does not recommend approval of the approach to rates remission. |
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Advantages |
· Application of the Policy consistent with past practice |
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Risks and Disadvantages |
· Would not be supported by those making an application for rates relief · Fails to use the Policy for its full scope of potential benefits to affected residents |
6. Conclusion
6.1 The 1 February 2018 weather event affected a number of ratepayers and residents in Nelson. The Rates Remission Policy for Land Affected by Natural Calamity provides a mechanism for Council to provide rates relief to affected ratepayers.
6.2 Council has received six applications for rates remission as a result of the ex-cyclone Fehi weather event for properties at Monaco. Officers recommend that Council approves that this event qualifies as a natural calamity and confirms the methodology by which remissions can be made. Officers will then bring a summary of approved applications and the total value of rates remitted to Council later this year.
Nikki Harrison
Group Manager Corporate Services
Attachments
Attachment 1: A1551142 - Rates Remission Policy ⇩
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Important considerations for decision making |
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1. Fit with Purpose of Local Government The recommendations in this report provide support for the people who own properties most affected by the 1 February 2018 weather event and thus deliver a public service to assist households in need. |
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2. Consistency with Community Outcomes and Council Policy Council has granted rates remissions for properties affected by natural calamity in the past, however these were limited to those issued with a s124 notice which required the ratepayer/resident to vacate their property. The recommendations in this report are not inconsistent with existing policy but do extend its coverage beyond existing practice. The recommendations in this report support the Community Outcome; Our communities are healthy, safe, inclusive and resilient |
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3. Risk There is a risk that this decision would result in a number of other applications being made. And also that remissions are granted to properties not eligible under the Policy, due to lack of information. This risk would be mitigated by the requirement of receipt of an assessment report that confirms that the ratepayer cannot live at the property during the application period. |
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4. Financial impact Rate remissions are an unbudgeted expense and approving the recommended option would have a financial impact for Council to the value of $17.02 per week per eligible ratepayer. Based on the six applications received, the estimated value of a rates remission for this financial year is $1,940.28. Further applications for rates remission would incur additional cost. |
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5. Degree of significance and level of engagement This matter is of low significance because it is in keeping with the Policy for Land Affected by Natural Calamity therefore no consultation is required. |
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6. Inclusion of Māori in the decision making process Māori have not been consulted in the preparation of this report. |
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7. Delegations The Governance Committee has the following delegations to consider Areas of Responsibility: · Rating systems and policies Powers to Recommend: · Any other matters within the areas of responsibility noted above |
