Council proposes district-wide rating for water and wastewater

Far North District Council is seeking public feedback on a proposal to change how it charges for its water and wastewater services in an effort to make them more affordable.

Currently, water and wastewater services include scheme by scheme targeted rates that are different depending on which water or wastewater facilities a property is connected to.

To make targeted rates more equitable and affordable, the council is proposing to adopt a district-wide charge for water services and another for wastewater. That would see all those connected to, or with access to, water schemes pay the same targeted rate. Similarly, a district-wide targeted rate would be applied to all those connected to, or with access to, wastewater schemes.  

The proposal would see the increasing costs associated with renewing three waters infrastructure spread evenly among all those with access to council water or wastewater services. Properties that cannot connect to a council water and/or wastewater scheme would not be affected by the proposal.

While some ratepayers would experience an increase in targeted water and wastewater rates, most property owners would see charges decrease under the proposed change. Those decreases would be most dramatic for schemes with a relatively small number of connections. Property owners can see how the proposal could impact their water and/or wastewater charges over the next four financial years on the council’s Have your say webpage.

Due to the approaching holiday season, the council will run its consultation on the proposal over an extended 13-week period to ensure all property owners that are or can connect to water and wastewater facilities can have their say. Submissions close at 11pm Thursday, 16 February 2023. 

Further information, including the Statement of Proposal and rating implications for relevant communities, can be viewed on the FNDC website and is also available at council service centres. You can provide feedback on the proposal at www.fndc.govt.nz/yoursay. You can also email feedback to submissions@fndc.govt.nz. Oral submissions will be arranged once the submission period ends. Email submissions@fndc.govt.nz if you would like to present you submissions orally.