Originally Western Bay ratepayers were told housing the Katikati collection of memorabilia, now known as the Western Bay Museum, would not be charged to our rates. Wrong. All ratepayers have been making a contribution to the museum for the past three years – Katikati ward paying 50 per cent of the $60,000 annual grant and the wider Bay paying the rest.

We were told this would end after three years, by which time it was expected the museum would be self-sustaining. Wrong again. The museum has now requested $70,000 a year for a further three years to cover the manager's salary and storage. The current Western Bay ‘Have Your Say' consultation document offers ratepayers three options – Options 2 and 3 provide the alternatives of a Baywide rate to fund this ongoing circus, or once again struggling Katikati ratepayers paying $8.10 and the wider Bay funding the rest. That's the bad news.

The good news is that Option 1 is for no further funding other than 52c Baywide to store the collection. This represents the only time ratepayers can make the council accountable for the bad decision made to purchase a private business against opposition from the Katikati community and to inflict the burden of that mistake onto all ratepayers.

Have your say before May 4.

W Rains, Katikati (Abridged).