The council said at the time that the site had been \u201coverwhelmed\u201d by the volume of waste, with contaminated and non-recyclable rubbish also left there. <\/p>\n
At the March 11 meeting, councillor Luke Pepper said the council would be \u201cgiving the middle finger\u201d to Raetihi residents if the bins were removed.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe community did want it, they did approve it, it was from the ground up,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt has to stay there.\u201d<\/p>\n
In the meeting\u2019s public forum, former Project Tongariro Waimarino environmental educator Liz Brooker questioned why the bins were \u201deven in” the council\u2019s annual plan report.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou know what the community board wants and we\u2019ve been given assurances that you are going to work with us,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n
\u201cThis is just cherry-picking Raetihi again and using us as a bank.<\/p>\n
\u201cThis is literally the last thing you can take. There\u2019s nothing left.\u201d<\/p>\n
To achieve a 9% rate increase, council officers also recommended not increasing cycleway maintenance ($100,000), road and footpath maintenance ($400,000) and new water treatment plants ($330,000). <\/p>\n
The council\u2019s LTP projected a 9% rates rise for its first three years (2024-27).<\/p>\n
Ruapehu District Council chief executive Clive Manley.<\/p>\n
Council chief executive Clive Manley said achieving a 9% rise meant the council had to \u201ccarefully juggle its work programme each year\u201d.<\/p>\n
\u201cThis has included deferring some projects, maintenance and depreciation spending, leveraging capital subsidies where available, and identifying operational savings while still maintaining services for the community.\u201d<\/p>\n
He said maintaining the services and commitments outlined in the LTP – along with accommodating new council decisions – would otherwise have required a rates increase nearer 15%.<\/p>\n
Ruapehu Mayor Weston Kirton told the Chronicle that keeping the Raetihi Recycling Station within the 9% rate rise required \u201cfine-tuning\u201d in other areas to offset the cost.<\/p>\n
He said he had been pushing for a 5% average rate rise for 2026-27 but that was voted down.<\/p>\n
It was one of three options presented to councillors at the meeting, along with 9% and 16.5%.<\/p>\n
Council officers did not recommend the 5% option, saying the main risk was the potential financial impact on the council of deferring business-as-usual maintenance.<\/p>\n
\u201cI campaigned on 5%, almost in line, if not before, the Government coming out with capping,\u201d Kirton said.<\/p>\n
\u201cBut I need to respect the fact that the council has now resolved the 9% in principle, and put aside my own feelings.\u201d<\/p>\n