Waitaki District Mayor Mel Tavendale moves to reverse a planned 22% rates increase after widespread community anger, according to reporting in the Otago Daily Times. Multiple articles say the proposal has prompted strong backlash from residents, including references to death threats directed at the mayor. The council’s planned increase is described as deeply unpopular, and Tavendale is now seeking to reduce it. While the articles agree on the scale of the original rates rise and the mayor’s intention to trim it, they also note that some residents and critics respond by saying the revised approach does not go far enough. One report characterises calls for more substantial change as “too little, too late.” The reporting also indicates that concerns about potential government intervention remain in the background, with the possibility of oversight or action by authorities described as looming for the council. Overall, the sources describe an escalated dispute over local government funding decisions, with the mayor attempting to address public opposition by scaling back the proposed rates rise.