Queenstown Lakes District Council is proposing an average
rates rise of 2.74% council chief executive Debra Lawson said
yesterday.
A rates cut of 0.88% had been mooted before the council chose
the rates-funded option to reduce debt by $1.9 million.
Ms Lawson announced the "low" increase as part of the
council's draft annual plan and said the proposed overall
spike was being driven by "affordability, debt reduction and
value for money for ratepayers".
"There have been some tough choices to make. However, there
is a lot of good news in the draft," she said.
QLDC deputy chief executive and financial manager Stewart
Burns said the debt reduction/rates rise option was thought
to be "a responsible approach to the work council is
undertaking to ensure that the 2012 10-year-plan will be
affordable.
Mr Burns said rates varied according to location and land use
categories, meaning a residential 0.88% decrease in Arthurs
Point could be countered by a 3.3% increase in Glenorchy.
The commercial range was 2.23% in Arrowtown to 3.92% in
Queenstown, while the accommodation range was 2.41% in Wanaka
to 5.27% in Queenstown.
District-wide rural property rates increases ranged between
4.15% and 8.06%.
"These increases are mainly due to the increases in capital
value rates - roading and general rates - to fund the
debt-reduction proposals," Mr Burns said.
That meant "significant reductions" were made elsewhere in
2011, with the uniform annual general charge marginally
decreasing by $0.12 per property from $68.12 to $68 and the
waste management charge dropping by $21.84 per residential
property from $172.84 to $151.
The waste management charge has also reduced by $14.02 per
non-residential property from $123.02 to $109.
The Wakatipu-only Aquatic Centre charge lessened by $1.54 per
property to $92 per annum, with the recreation charge
decreasing by $12.60 per property to $268 per annum and the
governance charge dropping slightly, by $0.10 per property,
to $128.
Ms Lawson said the exception was an increase for certain
targeted rates "for water supply and wastewater, due to
increases in depreciation and the estimated prices from the
utilities maintenance contract".
"This is a draft plan and there are some key issues that need
community feedback before we can take the final decisions,"
she said.
"Council is looking for a firm guide on these issues - and
others - including a proposal to lower the waste management
rate with residents paying more according to the amount of
rubbish they make," Ms Lawson said.
QLDC will be asked to adopt the draft plan on Tuesday with
submissions opening on April 16 and closing on May 16.
- matt.stewart@odt.co.nz
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