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Request for information: 

"I request the following information for the 2022/23 Financial Year: 

1. Average residential rates
   • The average residential costs of rates and other Council charges, where average residential costs = (X + Y) / Z. Please ensure that the figures used (X, Y, and Z) are disclosed in the response, where: 
     • X is the total of all rates (general and targeted) charged by the Council to residential rating units; 
     • Y is the total amount of user charges or levies applicable to residential rating units (for example charges relating to metered water, infrastructure contributions, refuse collection, fire protection etc.); and 
     • Z is the number of residential rating units (however defined by the Council) within the Council's district or city. If the Council does not have a classification for residential, please use the closest definition (such as urban). 
     • Please do not include Council charges that are not part of the rates demand (for example retail sales of Council rubbish bags). 
   • If possible, the median residential rates payment by residential units. 
2. Average non-residential rates
   • The average non-residential costs of rates and other Council charges, where average non-residential costs = (X + Y) / Z. Please ensure that the figures used (X, Y, and Z) are disclosed in the response, where: 
     • X is the total of all rates (general and targeted) charged by the Council to rating units except those defined as residential*; 
     • Y is the total amount of user charges or levies applicable to rating units except those defined as residential* (for example, charges related to metered water, infrastructure contributions, refuse collection, fire protection etc); and 
     • Z is the number of rating units except those defined as residential* (however defined by the Council) within the Council's district or city. If the Council does not have a classification for non-residential, please use the closest definition (such as commercial). 
     • Please do not include Council charges that are not part of the rates demand (for example, retail sales of Council rubbish bags).
   • If possible, the median non-residential rates payment for the council. *Please ensure that this definition matches that used to calculate average residential rates so that the respective X values of both requests add up to total rates income for the 2021/2022 Financial Year. 
3. Personnel
   • The total number of staff dismissed due to poor performance. 
   • If applicable, the FTE number of staff employed by council-controlled organisations. 
   • If applicable, the total FTE number of staff employed by the council, excluding council-controlled organisations.
   • The total number of staff (non-FTE, including casual staff)
   • The total number of staff including those employed by council-controlled organisations receiving remuneration in excess of $100,000. 
   • The total number of staff including those employed by council-controlled organisations receiving remuneration in excess of $200,000. 3.1 Management
   • The FTE number of managers employed.
     • The Taxpayer's Union defines a manager as: any staff member who is responsible for a team of staff, or who has an employee/employees reporting to them and organises them to achieve their department's or organisation's specified goal. The Chief Executive team is included in this definition
   • The ratio of management to total staff numbers. 
   • The average and median salary of a manager. 3.2 Communications
   • The FTE number of communications & marketing staff employed
   • The average and median salary of communications & marketing staff. 3.3 Consultants & contractors
   • Total expenditure on consultants and contractors. Please ensure that this includes CAPEX and OPEX spending. (Figure D)
   • Total number of consultants and contractors paid (Figure E)
   • The average payment for consultant or contractor services. This is calculated by dividing Figure D by Figure E. 3.4 Core services
   • The FTE number of staff employed to work on the delivery of local services. 
     • The Taxpayer's Union defines Infrastructure FTE as staff who are directly responsible for maintaining council assets and physical services, including biosecurity, collection of biological data, natural hazards/monitoring of the environment, and Civil Defence Emergency Management (if applicable). 
   • The FTE number of staff employed to provide regulatory functions.
     • The Taxpayer's Union defines Regulatory FTE as staff who are directly responsible for upkeeping and enforcing council functions and income, including building, resource and planning consents, compliance monitoring, enforcement of bylaws and rules, and democracy services. 
   • The FTE number of staff employed in customer-facing roles.
     • The Taxpayer's Union defines Customer Service FTE as staff who are directly responsible for communicating and providing aid for members of the public, such as pest and weed control services, environmental health hotlines, and receptionists at council offices, whether in person or by phone. 
4. Audit and Risk Oversight
   • How many members are on the Council's Audit and Risk Committee (or equivalent)? 
   • Of those members, how many are elected and how many are independent of the council? 
   • Is the Chair of the Committee an independent member? 
   • Does the Council have a lawyer (with a current practising certificate) on the Committee? 
   • Does the Council have an accountant (with a current practising certificate) on the Committee? 
   • Does the Council have a code of conduct requiring political neutrality from Council staff? 
5. Payments to third parties
   • The total payments bade by the Council (or any council-controlled organisation) to any Chamber of Commerce, including GST. 
   • The total payments made by the Council (or any council-controlled organisation) to Local Government New Zealand (LGNZ), including GST. 
   • The total payments made by the Council (or any council-controlled organisation) to Taituarā (new Zealand Society of Local Government Managers (SOLGM)), including GST. 
6. Debt
   • Net debt (total for the council) as a percent of rates income
   • The dollar amount of debt per rating unit
   • The dollar amount of interest paid per rating unit"