Fundraising to mitigate rate rise

Lyal Cocks.
Lyal Cocks.
How much Wanaka ratepayers will need to contribute to the cost of the new Wanaka swimming pool is still up in the air.

At its meeting last week, the Queenstown Lakes District Council settled on a January start date for the $12.28 million pool.

Calculations provided to councillors by staff showed after income from land sales ($1million) and grants and fundraising ($1.8million), ratepayers could expect an average rate increase of $184 per year.

However, deputy mayor Lyal Cocks told the Otago Daily Times yesterday the rate figure remained ''a worst-case scenario'' and, while reluctant to be specific about what the actual increase might be, said he would be more comfortable with a figure in the region of $100.

Mr Cocks is spearheading the fundraising campaign and is in the process of forming a group that would set targets, ''and then we are going to get on with it''.

Staff were working on a ''more detailed'' funding model which could include the sale of council land in Ballantyne Rd, previously occupied by sewage ponds, in addition to land at Scurr Heights.

Mr Cocks said there was not a ''definite plan'' as yet.

''We've got to bring it all together.

''It's all very well talking about these things but we've got to get them together and get some real figures on the table, some real actions on the table to sell some land and some real structure around the fundraising.''

Mr Cocks said he was aiming to meet those goals by the next council meeting on July 30.

He agreed his fundraising group, whose members have not yet been confirmed, was under pressure with the start date just six months away.

''But we can still be raising funds while they are building it.

''And we can reduce the impact on rates, maybe not in the first year but it could be in the second year.''

Wanaka Community Board chairwoman Rachel Brown said yesterday she had ''always made it really clear'' to the council she was not comfortable with the $184 figure.

''I just think it's too high.

''I come from that kind of economic background that can't afford that, and I know I represent a lot of people in this district that can't afford that kind of money.''

Ms Brown said she was a swimmer and supported the council providing a pool as one of its ''core services'', but considered $184 ''completely unacceptable''.

She would be ''kind of in agreement'' with an increase of $100.

Council chief executive Adam Feeley confirmed to the ODT yesterday one of the figures he quoted at the meeting was incorrect.

The pool's $660,000 net annual operating deficit was covered by the $184 rate increase, not additional to it.

''We will, however, be updating those figures as part of the follow-up from the last council meeting,'' he said.

mark.price@odt.co.nz

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