The Wellington Ratepayers’ Alliance is calling for a full council inquiry into how a straightforward library website project ended up costing ratepayers nearly $600,000, despite lacking basic functionality.

Alliance spokesman James Ross said:

“Not only did the library’s website cost 117 families’ entire annual rates bills, but you can’t even use it to sign up for the library. To call it a farce would be an understatement.”

“It’s been a week since the true cost was exposed. Beyond expressions of concern, what action have councillors actually taken to make sure this can’t happen again?”

“Wellingtonians are sick of hearing excuses about why projects failed without anyone ever been held accountable. If council think this spending is justified, they should have no problem showing their workings to a full inquiry.”

The Wellington Ratepayers’ Alliance is backing Wellington Mayor Andrew Little's call that any council amalgamation across the Wellington region must only proceed with the backing of ratepayers through a referendum.

Wellington Ratepayers Alliance spokesperson, James Ross, says;

“Mayor Little was bang-on when he said ‘the bottom line is this: local people should decide the future of their local governments.’”

“Unlike Ministers pushing councils into rushed restructuring, Mayor Little understands both the benefits and the risks that come with amalgamation. The people who pay the bills and live with the consequences deserve the final say.”

“Ten weeks is nowhere near long enough to decide the future shape of local democracy in Wellington. Councils across the region should be putting the question directly to ratepayers well before making decisions that cannot easily be undone.”

“Whether rehashing the bloated Auckland Supercity in the capital is the right answer or not, democracy still matters. Local government should only be reorganised with the consent of the communities it serves, not because Ministers have decided they know best.”

The Wellington Ratepayers’ Alliance is stunned to learn Tiāki Wai plans to spend $420,000 on an advertising campaign simply to tell people that Tiāki Wai exists.

Wellington Ratepayers’ Alliance spokesperson, James Ross, says;

“Ratepayers don’t need a $420,000 marketing campaign. They need pipes fixed.”

“Tiaki Wai is a monopoly. Wellingtonians cannot choose another provider, so why the flash PR blitz? An agency spending hundreds of thousands promoting itself before it has delivered a single result is completely tone deaf.”

“Tiāki Wai needs to focus on infrastructure, accountability, and cost control instead of trying to sell ratepayers on higher bills. This kind of spending exposes exactly why Wellingtonians are nervous about the new water monopoly being just as bad as the last one.”

“Families are being warned to expect rising water charges, yet somehow there’s still money for advertising, communications staff, branding, and spin. With 84 percent of the current budget still yet to be spent, this campaign must be stopped before another cent is wasted.”

The Wellington Ratepayers’ Alliance is accusing council officials of being out of touch with struggling households as Wellington City Council celebrates a 5.8 percent rates hike.

This comes off the back of a 47 percent rates hike over just the last three years.

Alliance spokesman James Ross says ratepayers have every right to be frustrated.

“Inflation is 3.1 percent, yet rates are still rising at nearly twice that rate next year. Why do Council seem to be celebrating that as a win?”

”The rich listers responsible for the rates hike might have pay packets large enough to shield them from the cost increase. But that isn’t the case for most Wellingtonians.”

“The fact anyone believes ratepayers should be grateful for a smaller increase than previous years shows spending discipline has collapsed inside Wellington City Hall. Ratepayers aren’t an endless money pit.”

Wellington Ratepayers’ Alliance spokesman James Ross reacted with horror at reports Wellington Chief Operating Officer, James Roberts, approved a $600,000 spend on a new library website and portal.

“That’s now $600,000 on a website and a planned $400,000 on an opening party for a library. Council bureaucrats thinking nothing of wasting 200 households’ yearly rates bills on a glitzy Rolls-Royce-style launch package is exactly why nothing comes cheap in this city.”

“We simply do not understand the continued mentality of the senior executives running the council. There is no financial discipline, no idea about sensible spending, and no respect for the ratepayers who pay their wages. How on Earth can Chief Operating Officer James Roberts justify this spend?”

“When a council spokesperson said it was highly unlikely a similar project would be approved today, that is an admission they know they’ve messed up. So where is the accountability, and who’s getting sacked?”

“If the Town Clerk, Matt Prosser, can’t give long-suffering Wellington ratepayers an indication of when his rich-lister senior management team will stop spending money like it’s going out of fashion, maybe he needs a reality check.”

Responding to Infrastructure Minister Chris Bishop’s claims that Wellington councils have been shifting unrelated debt onto the region’s new water entity, Tiaki Wai, Wellington Ratepayers’ Alliance spokesman James Ross called on councils to release the two reports council commissioned into the debt transfer.

“When even DIA are saying Tiaki Wai has been burdened with debt levels ‘significantly higher than the amount of money council borrowed for three waters’, ratepayers can smell a rat.”

“If debt has been improperly shifted to Tiaki Wai, that’s not just an accounting trick. It means higher water bills for residents, while giving councils more leeway to spend on the credit card.”

“Council Rich Listers say Bishop’s claim isn’t true, yet central government officials agree with the Minister. We say enough of the he-said-she-said. Release the two reports - unredacted -  and let ratepayers judge for themselves.”

The Wellington Ratepayers’ Alliance has today launched the Wellington City Council Rich List, exposing 35 Council figures paid more than $200,000, including 34 Council staff paid more than Mayor Andrew Little.

The Rich List, available at WellingtonRichList.nz, shows Town Clerk Matt Prosser is paid $531,616, while five Chief Officers are listed at salary-band midpoints of $440,000. Mayor Andrew Little is paid $201,947 and sits dead last.

Wellington Ratepayers’ Alliance spokesman James Ross said:

“At the same time households are being hammered with a 47 percent rates increase over the last three years, and face another hike this year, Wellingtonians might be surprised to learn there are 34 Council staff paid more than the person they elected to lead the city.”

“These 35 officials alone are costing ratepayers around $9.3 million a year. That is the equivalent of the entire annual rates bill of roughly 1,800 average Wellington households, just to cover this slice of the Council payroll.”

“Wellington has the second-highest average residential rates in the country, the highest commercial rates, and ratepayers are being asked to cough up even more. Yet somehow there is always room in the budget for a bigger, richer bureaucracy.”

“No one is saying councils do not need capable staff. But when officials are being paid more than Ministers of the Crown, more than the Mayor, and in one case more than the Prime Minister, ratepayers deserve to know who they are, what they are being paid, and whether they are getting value for money.”

“Wellingtonians can now see the list for themselves at WellingtonRichList.nz. The question for councillors is simple: are ratepayers getting results that match the payroll?”

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The Wellington Ratepayers’ Alliance has today launched the Wellington City Council Rich List, exposing 35 Council figures paid more than $200,000, including 34 Council staff paid more than Mayor Andrew Little.

The Rich List, available at WellingtonRichList.nz, shows Town Clerk Matt Prosser is paid $531,616, while five Chief Officers are listed at salary-band midpoints of $440,000. Mayor Andrew Little is paid $201,947 and sits dead last.

Wellington Ratepayers’ Alliance spokesman James Ross said:

“At the same time households are being hammered with a 47 percent rates increase over the last three years, and face another hike this year, Wellingtonians might be surprised to learn there are 34 Council staff paid more than the person they elected to lead the city.”

“These 35 officials alone are costing ratepayers around $9.3 million a year. That is the equivalent of the entire annual rates bill of roughly 1,800 average Wellington households, just to cover this slice of the Council payroll.”

“Wellington has the second-highest average residential rates in the country, the highest commercial rates, and ratepayers are being asked to cough up even more. Yet somehow there is always room in the budget for a bigger, richer bureaucracy.”

“No one is saying councils do not need capable staff. But when officials are being paid more than Ministers of the Crown, more than the Mayor, and in one case more than the Prime Minister, ratepayers deserve to know who they are, what they are being paid, and whether they are getting value for money.”

“Wellingtonians can now see the list for themselves at WellingtonRichList.nz. The question for councillors is simple: are ratepayers getting results that match the payroll?”