While ratepayers are unlikely to be happy with the predicted higher rates increases, developers outside Alexandra, Clyde and Omakau should be happy with the latest development contribution costs.
In a statement yesterday council chief executive Peter Kelly said staff had discovered errors in the Three Waters budget and staff also amended the budgets to reflect the recent changes brought about by the new water contracts for water reticulation and water treatment facilities.
Those changes contributed to the proposed rates rise increasing from the 11.63% announced at the last council meeting to 14.03%.
A report in the agenda from group manager business support Saskia Righarts said changes had also been made to the development and financial contribution policy, which would affect developers.
Roading charges had been lowered and some items, including interest charges on housing for elderly people, had been removed, leading to a reduction in development contribution charges.
However, factoring expected growth had resulted in a large increase in water supply and wastewater contributions for some areas.
Water contributions in Alexandra-Clyde would go up $6957 and in Omakau $5701.
However, the cost of wastewater contributions in Omakau would soar $15,753, while Alexandra-Clyde would have a more modest increase of $4618.
The transport contribution would go down $689, parks and reserves $214 and community infrastructure $3009.
Developers would be paying a total of $57,524 in Alexandra-Clyde and $49,619 in Omakau per lot created. In contrast, the total paid per lot in all other areas of the region would go down by amounts ranging from $861 in Patearoa to $5235 in Cromwell.
In her report Dr Righarts said following conversations with other councils the water plan section of the draft LTP had been rewritten.
It was now based on content from a council that had been through the audit process, which the revised LTP would go to once approved by councillors.
At the council meeting last month Dr Righarts told councillors $400,000 of reserve funds had been discovered in different accounts.
Chief financial officer Paul Morris said potentially other reserves had been merged into other activities and a project had begun to examine all reserves.
