[Susan Pardy]

Hi Susan,

I have been thinking about this all weekend and I have an issue that I can’t logically reconcile. I will try to get it out, and see how I go about explaining my issue and see if anyone can help me work around it…

I think the idea of items 1-4 is an attempt to give Council a way to use our current rating structures in the new financial year. I read “rating structure” as the use of categories, sub-categories, ad-valorems, minimums and bases. So it sounds to me that the current sub-categories and methodologies for levying rates from each category and sub-category need to remain unchanged.

However, if the New Council needs to “make” a rate by resolution of the New Council, I don’t know how we go about the “catch-all” categories of Farmland, Residential and Business (ie. where you must make a rate for Farmland, Residential and Business for those parcels of land that do not fall within a sub-category). Presently, both Council A and Council B will have their own “catch-all” AV/Min/Base. So does that mean that New Council needs to and can only have one “catch-all”? For example, I can’t see how New Council can “make” two different Farmland rates because that would contravene the Act (the New Council can only have one Farmland rate – there can’t be one for Former Council A and Council B … and I can’t find a way to sub-categorise them; and even if I did, would creating new sub-categories which contravenes the rules (2) and (3) that the sub-categories can’t change). This problem (as I see it) extends to Residential and Business also … there are parcels which don’t get sub-categorised and are therefore rated as per the “catch-all” category: but how do two catch-all categories come together if we can’t change rating structures?

I might be way off track, but figure it’s worth us all putting in our ideas here on this forum, so if anyone else has anything to add (or can help me find the solution to this issue) please let me (and all of us) know.

Cheers
Susan