Council meeting: In brief
At the Environment Southland council meeting today, several key decisions were made.
Rates set
Environment Southland today set the rating level for the 2015/16 financial year, reflecting the core services and work
programmes outlined in the Council’s Long-term Plan, which was adopted in June. Overall rate levels, as signalled in the
Plan, will go up by 6.5% this year, with some ratepayers experiencing increases and some decreases depending on their
own property value movements relative to other Southland properties. The amount being collected via rates accounts for
51% of Councils revenue for the year.
Airborne Geophysical Survey Project Involvement
Today Councillors agreed to contribute up to $250,000 to the airborne geophysical survey project being undertaken in
Southland over the next two years. The survey will be a complement to the work being done on the physiographic zones and
the Council’s science programme.
Environmental Enhancement Fund approval
Councillors agreed to approve a grant of $10,180 for Charlie and Emma Smaill from the Environmental Enhancement Fund.
The grant amounts to 50% of the total cost of work the couple plan to use to undertake weed control on the Glenlapa
Station, particularly for gorse, broom and woody weeds such as hawthorn on the edges of four proposed QEII covenants
totalling 141.3ha.
Invoicing annual charges
Council today adopted a policy that outlines when annual charges will be invoiced and how they will be applied for
consent holders. The policy aims to ensure a consistent approach to how and when annual charges are applied so that
applicants know what charges they will incur when they apply for a resource consent.
Forest and Bird declaration
At the Council meeting today, Councillors directed staff not to join Forest and Bird’s declaratory judgement
proceedings, but to keep a watching brief on these proceedings. Forest and Bird are seeking to have the Environment
Court declare that excreta from animals are a discharge under legislation. The judgement could have wide ranging impacts
on regional councils as it would mean that animal extreta would require a discharge permit if no rule existed in a plan
or national environmental standard to permit the activity.
Indigenous Vegetation Clearance
Feedback following field days for hill and high country development in 2014 clearly showed that there was significant
confusion within the rural community about which council is the controlling authority in regard to indigenous vegetation
clearance. Council made a commitment to discuss the issues with the Southland District, Gore District and Invercargill
City Councils. These discussions have been underway with staff from all councils and today four councillors were
appointed to commence more formal discussions with Southland District Council on how the indigenous vegetation clearance
process and responsibilities could be managed forward. They are Councillors Rodway, Horrell, Riddell and Cockburn.
ENDS