Carterton District Council [CDC] has passed its annual plan and set the rates for next year at a level below initial estimates.
CDC voted unanimously at yesterday’s council meeting to increase the district’s rates by 5.9 per cent.
This is down from the increase of 6.2 per cent signalled in the draft annual plan circulated in April.
Two years ago, the average increase in rates in year three of the long term plan was projected to be 4 per cent.
Minor changes to the draft plan published in April included an increased budget for audit fees, small increases to the governance and communications budgets for work on the representation review, a slight decrease in the average cost of funds used, an update to the Event Centre’s fees and charges, and an update to the number of rateable properties.
A CDC spokesperson described it as “a very good plan for the times”.
“We’ve done our best for the community, and where they are – lots of them – financially a bit challenged. It delivers on our core requirements in terms of levels of service. It means we can continue to do the things we’ve been doing that people value, for the best possible price,” the spokesperson said.
CDC mayor Ron Mark congratulated all council staff and the team who worked on the plan.
“For years councils get criticised for not keeping pace with inflation. The past two years we’ve been under the CPI [consumer price index],” Mark said.
“It shows we are able to deliver a business and an organisation that is as lean and mean and as fiscally responsible as it possibly can be.”
Mark also sounded a note of caution for the future.
“The challenge will be next year. We will have three waters, which will have an impact on staffing, and we have some major challenges with resilience on our roading,” he said.
The average rates hike will be across all rateable properties, but individual property increases would vary.
The resolution did not include any uplift in Greater Wellington Regional Council rates, which are set independently. – NZLDR
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Yes individually properly increases wood vary? Sorry don’t like that comment. Being in the rural area that has no urban amenities at all yet our rates have increased over 300% in 14 years that comment is very worrying 😐 😕.