Council welcomes new tagging measures

The City Council is pleased the government has taken a positive stand on addressing the serious issue of graffiti.

The General Manager for City Contact, Peter Eathorne, says the Council has an ongoing problem with graffiti and vandalism to Council property which costs ratepayers more than $600,000 a year.

In addition the Council’s graffiti removal programme for private property that fronts major roads and all property within the Central Business District (CBD) and suburban shopping centres costs another $100,000.

This initiative includes an arrangement with Dulux Paints Ltd where Dulux offers a 50 percent discount on paint purchased from them for property that doesn’t meet those criteria provided a complaint about tagging is first registered with the Council.

“Together with Local Government New Zealand, we welcome the new STOP strategy to ban the sale of spray paint cans to juveniles and measures to introduce tougher sentencing of offenders,” Peter Eathorne says.

“While the measures are directed at community groups, the City Council would be very keen for some of the funding to be directed to local authorities that must pay for much of the vandalism.”

Peter Eathorne says graffiti has been increasing each year and is a real concern to the City Council. It’s a cost the ratepayer would gladly see reduce he comments.