Alert Level 3 – Council Services Update
23 April 2020
Rates
Fourth instalment rates are due to Council by 31 May 2021. Rates pay for Council’s essential services such as ensuring households have safe drinking water, that the waste water system keeps operating, rubbish is collected, burials and cemeteries can take place, essential roading and safety repairs are made, emergency services (Civil Defence) are on hand, and flood protection is being monitored. If you have any questions or concerns about paying rates, please see our website for options or contact the Council’s rates officer on 03 756 9010 or email ratesofficer@westlanddc.govt.nz
Rates Rebates
There has been a temporary legislative amendment to allow for a statutory declaration for rates rebates to be made via audio-visual link or over the telephone. This amendment came into force on Friday 17 April and continues until 25 June 2020, unless extended or revoked earlier.
Anyone applying for a rates rebate can now contact an authorised witness and sign the document during an audio-visual call or phone call to them and then have the authorised witness sign the document, or a photographed or scanned copy of the document. This form can then be returned to Council’s rates officer at ratesofficer@westlanddc.govt.nz or by post.
Inspection of rating information database
Council’s Rating Information Database (RID) is available for public viewing from 1 May 2020. There is no fee to view the database.
Go to http://e-search.westlanddc.govt.nz/property/ at any time
District Assets
Under Alert Level 3 playgrounds remain closed. All essential services will continue to operate as they did under Alert Level 4, so rubbish and recycling continues to be collected, public toilets are open and essential maintenance will be undertaken.
With additional health and safety measures construction projects and essential travel, site visits and inspections will be conducted.
Drinking Water advice
The Ministry of Health has issued advice for ensuring drinking water is clean in businesses following the lockdown period.
With many community facilities/businesses being closed during the COVID-19 4-week self-isolation period this provides the opportunity for drinking-water quality issues to occur upon return to normal service activities. These issues are most likely to arise when water is used for the first time given the water may have been sitting idle in your pipes and stagnated or deteriorated.
See our website for the document.
Planning
The planning department will be processing LIMs from Tuesday 28 May 2020. Please contact Council on 03 756 9010 or council@westlanddc.govt.nz for further information.
Library
The Library remains closed at Alert Level 3. Loans have been extended and fines waived. You cannot return books until the library opens.
Digital library services remain available on customers’ devices. See the library website for more details.
Photo by Kazuky Akayashi on Unsplash
