Invercargill ratepayers will be paying a slightly higher rates bill than they might have expected.
At a full council meeting yesterday, the Invercargill City Council approved a 3.5% rates increase in its annual plan.
The draft annual plan included an increase of 2.95%, while the long-term plan forecast an increase of 3.14%.
Not all councillors were happy with the last-minute rise.
The increase was due to an unbudgeted $300,000 to the Southland Indoor Leisure Centre Charitable Trust, which owns ILT Stadium Southland.
Cr Leslie Soper said the matter was brought to the table at the "very last moment".
"It is disappointing that this decision - not made in the 11th hour, but in the 13th hour - has led to us ending with a rates increase larger than already had been widely published."
Cr Karen Arnold agreed and said the council's contribution from last year had still not been used.
"It is sitting in the stadium coffer."
Cr Ian Pottinger said the matter should have been discussed earlier.
However, councillors should not forget the stadium was not the only reason for the increase, as the council would not received the $1.2million of dividend budgeted for this year from its holding company, Holdco, he said.
Council financial controller Dale Booth said the council did not need to consult on the draft plan because it had not changed much from the long-term plan.
Core infrastructure projects in the plan included $3.5million for roading reconstruction and resealing, $1.5 million on footpath renewals and $2million for completing LED and streetlight upgrade projects.
Another $1.7million would be invested in a two-lane conversion of Don St and a right-hand turn into Esk St.
Council roading manager Russell Pearson said these two projects would increase access to the inner city.
The council has also budgeted an additional $1.8million to complete the Don St property development.
The Living Dinosaurs development was initially planned to be built in 2019-20, but it has been deferred to 2021-22 to align with the museum redevelopment project.
