Dear Mayor,
Thank you again for taking time to reply in the attached letter to my further questions relating to the Rates increase for funding KCDC Annual Plan 2020/21.
I am not an accountant but I am skilled in household / business finances and it is clear that Council thinks it did a good job in hoodwinking ratepayers that the percentage rates increase for 2020/21 has been reduced by their efforts.
Figures from various Council documents you provided links to have been analysed and the results indicate that Kāpiti Coast District Council Management team failed in minimising costs to operate obligatory services for residents over the next 12 months. Any surplus dollars could then be apportioned to the “nice to have” extras or possibly used to reduce debt or carried forward to help us get through 2020/21, which is not going to be financially any easier for us ratepayers.
Perhaps Council would benefit from learning and adopting a “Zero-Based Budgeting” methodology which many businesses across the World use to stay within the bounds of their income and still operate effectively. This would mean that, to hold Council accountable, it will require more effort from Management and staff to closely and consistently monitor their spending. A benefit that Council does have is knowing it’s quarterly income is relatively consistent, providing ratepayers are able to continue paying.
As you and some, not all, elected Councillors have shown an inability to comprehend the potential outfall of this Covid-19 pandemic by voting to approve unnecessary rates increases, I do not intend wasting my time seeking further explanations to this financial ineptitude but do thank you for your feedback to date.
Regards
Martin Warriner
Paraparaumu Beach
