Garff Commissioners won't subsidise NCAS for Bride to join on cheaper deal

It was on the agenda for the local authority's public meeting

Garff Commissioners says it wouldn’t use its rates to subsidise the Northern Civic Amenity Site to allow Bride Commissioners back in on its own deal.

It was discussed at its meeting last night along with the Glen Road landslide and the rate setting process.

Chair Stan Ryzak asked members if they would be willing to pay more into the NCAS to allow Bride Commissioners to rejoin the site at a lower cost.

Mr Ryzak is also the representative on the joint committee, and said a private meeting is being held with the Infrastructure Minister to see if a resolution can be made before the site closes next March.

Commissioner Ashlin Creer said Bride ‘threw their toys out of the pram’ and it would be ‘wrong’ for the ratepayers of Garff to subsidise Bride residents.

She also said she’d spoken to a Bride resident who said they had been given no notice that the commissioners had made the decision to leave the NCAS and stop paying for it.

Commissioner Julie Pinson said Garff ratepayers shouldn’t be ‘supplementing’ Bride.

Whilst commissioner Tim Kenyon said he wasn’t sure what else DOI Minister Tim Crookall could do to persuade Bride to rejoin.

The board agreed to reject the joint committee’s suggestion of covering the cost shortfall.

Also on the agenda was a discussion about the rate setting process for next year.

Ms Pinson said the board should be aware that inflation may rise again after the recent US election.

The clerk said it’s estimated to be at 2.5 percent this time next year and requested the board think about whether they want to increase the rates by the same amount as they did this financial year.

Another topic that sparked a debate was a survey carried out about the landslide that occurred on Glen Road in April this year.

The local authority received a report explaining what work should be carried out and designs in line with flood risk standards.

It was agreed by the board to ask the insurance company about next steps and consider taking remedial action.

Garff Commissioners will next meet on Wednesday, 4 December.