Akaroa residents invited to give views on health hub levy

Residents in the Akaroa and bays area are being asked to voice their views about a proposal that they help fund the new Akaroa Community Health Centre through a targeted rate.

The proposal has originated from the Akaroa Community Health Trust.

An artist's impression of the new Akaroa Health Centre.

The Trust has asked Christchurch City Council to provide it with a grant of up to $1.3 million and suggested that the Council should recover the money through a targeted rate on all properties within the Akaroa subdivision of the Banks Peninsula ward.

The Council’s Finance and Performance Committee has agreed in principle to the Trust’s request, but it wants to be confident there is strong support from the community for a targeted rate before it make a final decision.

“It is important that we consult with the community and hear their views about contributing to the costs of the new health centre through a targeted rate,’’ says Christchurch Deputy Mayor and Banks Peninsula Councillor Andrew Turner.

If there is support for a targeted rate, it will mean that each ratepayer in the Akaroa subdivision will pay an additional annual fixed charge on top of their normal rates.

The amount of the annual fixed charge will depend on whether the community wants the targeted rate to be applied over a four or a 10-year period:

• If it applies for a four-year period, the annual fixed charge will be about $130.20 (including GST) per property.
•  If the targeted rate applies for 10-years, the annual fixed charge will be about $58.63 (including GST) per property.

If the targeted rate is approved following the community consultation, it will come into effect from 1 July this year.

“We want ratepayers in the Akaroa area to tell us whether they support a grant being made and the costs being recovered through a targeted rate. We also want them to tell us whether they would prefer the targeted rate to apply for a four or a 10-year period,’’ Cr Turner says.

Make a submission online.

Consultation on the grant and targeted rate is open until Wednesday, 27 March.

A Hearings Panel will be convened in April to consider all the submissions received from the public and to make recommendations to the Council. The Council will then make a final decision on the issue in June.

Matters considered by the Hearings Panel will include both the level of participation in the consultation and the level of support shown by the community for the proposal through the consultation process.

• Council staff and representatives from the Akaroa Health Trust will be available at the Akaroa Farmers Market between 9.30 and 11.30am on Saturday, 9 March to answer any questions Akaroa residents may have about the proposed grant and targeted rate.