Wellington's suburban businesses told to pay their way
If suburban businesses in Wellington want growth they will have to pay for it.
Wellington city council says it will not be "out-sourcing" its obligations to suburban business leaders under a new plan to drive suburban business growth.
The council's strategy and policy committee has signed off on a business improvement districts policy which will be considered at next week’s council meeting.
The policy would allow businesses in suburbs such as Johnsonville and Newtown to form districts and use a self-funding mechanism, through targeted rates, to pay for improvements to the area.
Those improvements could include landscaping or promotion and marketing of the retail area.
Economic portfolio leader councillor Jo Coughlan says the policy has been driven by a call from community and business leaders around the suburbs.
She says the policy would cater for projects not currently funded through local rates.
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Comments and questions6
What? So, is the city council telling those in Northern suburbs that their rates are use to fund city developments only? Where is the self-funding mechanism going to come from? Donations?
I guess those suburban businesses will be getting a refund then for the rates they pay towards the targeted central city improvements?
You bet. And if we could just stop all of the cross-subsidies from ratepayers to businesses then we can reduce rates and only fund efficient ideas (as selected by the investors who actually pay) as opposed to ratepayers funding photo-ops for lens-mugging Councillors
There is a need to split the providers from the payers who should be able to veto any proposed expenditure.
Yes - let's extend this concept and have the payers of rates decide on the allocation of all major council expenditure. Would there be a different outcome?
Bring on the super city. It really annoys me that these fiefdoms that take our money with no accountability then proceed to defer things that don't take their fancy. Lets drive efficiency in the local body sector and collapse all the administration into a entity. There will still be local boards to who pretend to listen to the ratepayers concerns and then do what they want however it will be one only instead of 5 sets of duplication as at present. And they won't be able to play favourites for the cbd at the expense of everywhere else.