Annual Plan feedback; Kāpiti property revaluations, renaming SH1

ANNUAL PLAN FEEDBACK CLOSES 1 MAY

If you haven’t already provided feedback on the Council’s plans for the year ahead, there’s still time. Consultation closes at 5pm on Monday 1 May.

Mayor K Gurunathan says the planning for 2017/18 reflects the Council’s work following through on long term commitments while responding to more recent changes.

“In the coming year we need to carry out additional work resulting from new legislative changes, improve our community resilience in an environment impacted by recent earthquakes and severe weather events while improving our ability to deliver on our economic development strategy, particularly in light of the opening of the new Expressway.

“The vast majority of the 5.9% increase proposed is largely unavoidable, with the funding of depreciation and inflation accounting for 4.5% and new compliance costs a further 0.2%. This gives us a very narrow margin in which to accommodate any other initiatives.

“We’re keen to get feedback on our plans, and encourage people to take the time to find out about the plans for the year ahead and let us know what they think,” says Mayor Gurunathan.

Details of the proposed plans, which would mean an average rates increase across the district for 2017/18 of 5.9%, are set out in an easy-to-read consultation document. Copies can be picked up at Council service centres and libraries, and can be viewed on the Council website at www.kapiticoast@govt.nz/annual-plan-2017-18.

Media contact for more information - Raewyn Pudsey on 04 296 4676.

PREPARATIONS FOR KĀPITI PROPERTY REVALUATIONS BEGIN

Around 500 business and rural property owners in Kāpiti will shortly be receiving surveys from Quotable Value (QV), as work gets underway for the upcoming property revaluations.

Group Manager Corporate Services Wayne Maxwell says that councils are required to ensure property values in the district are reviewed and revalued every three years. This was last done in 2014 and will be redone this year, with effect from 1 July 2018.

“We’ve engaged QV to do this work and this starts with surveying a sample of business and rural properties to help provide up-to-date information on aspects such as changing rentals, accommodation and vacancy levels and rural production rates. This information helps us better understand changes since the last revaluation, including impacts of the Expressway, and this is taken into account in the districtwide revaluations”, he says.

Property owners across the district will receive draft revaluations in October and will have an extended opportunity to object to their revaluations by early December 2017 and have them reviewed before they’re used as the basis for property rates from 1 July 2018.

“It’s important to remember that increasing the rateable value of a property does not automatically result in the equivalent rates increase for that property,” says Mr Maxwell.

”The total amount of rates collected by the Council each year are allocated across the community using a combination of land value, capital value and fixed charges, with differential rates applied in some cases. Typically, where a property’s revaluation exceeds the average revaluation increase in an area, the property will have a slightly higher rates increase than the average. Conversely, a property that has a revaluation below the average revaluation increase for that area will have a slightly lower rates increase than the average.”

Property owners with queries about this survey can contact QV on 0800 QVRating (0800 786 822) orratingsupport@qv.co.nz.

Media contact for more information - Raewyn Pudsey on 04 296 4676.

MORE THAN 400 PEOPLE HAVE THEIR SAY ON RENAMING SH1

More than 400 people took the time to provide feedback and to put forward suggestions for renaming State Highway 1 (SH1) once it becomes a local road.

Mayor K Gurunathan says it was great to see so many people taking an interest in the Council’s SH1 renaming conversation.

“All names suggested by the community will now be put into the mix including those names put forward by representatives/historians from the district’s three iwi and a Council-nominated local historian.

“The Council will work through a process to assess all suggestions received against the Criteria for SH1 Renaming and a shortlist of possible names will be developed in consultation with community boards and councillors before a final decision is made by the full Council,” the Mayor said.

The Council invited the Kāpiti Coast community to have their say on possible names for SH1 between 9 March and 14 April this year in preparation for when the NZ Transport Agency hands over responsibility for SH1 to the Kāpiti Coast District Council and it becomes a fit-for-purpose local road. This involves a formal process known as “revocation”.

The Mayor said the Council is looking at this now because SH1 will lose its classification as a state highway once the revocation process is complete.

“SH1 can no longer be called a state highway for address and identification purposes once it becomes a local road so we need to be ready to go to go when this happens to avoid any confusion.”

The process of renaming SH1 is being funded by the NZ Transport Agency as part of the Council’s SH1 revocation agreement with the NZ Transport Agency.

The Council expects to reach a decision on renaming SH1 before the end of the year and will notify and work with affected property owners, business operators and emergency services to ensure there is a smooth transition to the new road names. This could take up to 24 months.

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