Waitaki Mayor Gary Kircher calls the Waitaki District Council's starting point for rates rises in the district a "good step in the right direction'', but says his major concern is to ensure rates "fall evenly'' across the district's ratepayers.
Working under the expectation of arates increase of less than 1%, the Waitaki District Council
would be briefed tomorrow on a pre-draft annual plan that includes a starting-point rates increase of 0.8%.
Mr Kircher said despite having a relatively low population and therefore fewer ratepayers to pay for major projects, the council had no net debt and was "paying our own way''.
"If you look at our increases for this term of council and the expected one for this coming year, I think we have certainly had some of the lowest increases [across the region],'' he said.
"One of our key focuses has been on improving efficiencies, making sure we're getting better value for the money we do take in rates.''
Mr Kircher said his "big concern at the moment'' was that the projected low rates rises were not felt evenly among ratepayers.
Even with a 1% rates rise, some could be hit with a much higher increase than the low average rates rise suggested.
The council's chief financial officer, Paul Hope, said the council had worked hard at finding savings for ratepayers within the operating budget.
He said individual council departments' budget requests were reviewed "just to make sure they sure they were really only asking for what they needed''.
The low expected increase - about the third or fourth consecutive low projected rates increase in a pre-draft annual plan document - was due to the council's "good financial position'', but also because the council had already laid out money for some major infrastructure projects several years ago.
"Because we started quite early on that, compared to some other councils, we sort of bit the bullet and, probably, our rates got a bit higher than others for that reason, but it has put us in a good position now.''
Mr Hope called the starting point of a 0.8% increase a "sizeable difference'' compared with the rates rise signalled through last year's long-term plan process, which had projected a 2.1% rates rise for this year.
At the meeting tomorrow the council would review a list of proposed projects for the coming year, which could have an impact on rates either this year or in future.
Consultation on the annual plan is scheduled to begin on March 18.
- Hamish MacLean
