Waitomo District Council is going to consult with the public about a proposed 5.91% rates increase.
Consultation time is limited, the consultation end date is May 31, and not a lot of money will be spent on alerting the public to the consultation process.
“Because it wasn’t a necessity to consult, it was a council choice to consult, – the budget capacity which we would normally have for a full-blown public consultation, we are trying to squeeze it down as much as possible, but do the best for our community,” community services manager Michelle Higgie said.
Hearings on the consultation document will be held on May 18, final financials will be presented at a council workshop meeting on May 30, and the rate will be struck at the council meeting on June 27 with the adoption of the annual plan.
Advertising will be mainly on social media with some small newspaper advertisements.
The proposed 5.91% is a back-down from a 16% increase provided in earlier versions of the draft annual plan.
This was not considered affordable, strategy and environment manager Alex Bell said.
Staff reduced the projected rate take by prioritising expenditure and finding other methods to reduce costs.
Three council workshops were held in February and March 2023 where strategies were considered by the council, specific details refined and then modelled for impact on the overall total rates requirement.
The process provided opportunities for the council to consider its priorities for the annual plan including the capital works programme and levels of service while reducing the total rates increases.
The outcome of these discussions form the basis of the consultation document so the community can also consider if the changes proposed meet its expectations.
The council wants community feedback before making a final decision. The proposal includes options and general feedback questions on the proposed changes.
