Waitomo District mayor John Robertson says Te Kūiti could look "amazing" if every landlord plays their part.
Councils throughout New Zealand are working through their budgets for the year ending 30 June, 2024.
This means estimating operating costs and setting property rates.
With inflation running at over 7%, the highest level for three decades, councils like households are trying to cope with higher costs.
Holding property rate increases below 7% will be a challenging exercise for all councils. I am hearing figures from around the country that indicate proposed rate rises of between 4.5% to 12%.
In Waitomo’s case, elected members have landed on a 5.91% average proposed increase.
This does not mean that all property owners will receive the same increase – some will be lower, some higher. But we have done our best to contain the spread.
For a household in Te Kūiti, Piopio or Benneydale, proposed increases of around $5 per week are where things currently stand.
When putting together the budget, the highest cost pressures have been on interest rates.
These have more than doubled the cost of servicing Waitomo’s relatively high debt.
Prices for contracted work, like road works and water pipe networks repairs, have also increased.
The storm and flood damage that our district suffered has added to cost pressures.
We have generated savings where possible. For instance, we are not rating for the depreciation on our water assets given the fact that the Government will remove these assets from us in 2024.
On the other hand, we propose to increase maintenance on our storm water network, having learned lessons from the January 28 flood events.
If you wish to drill down into the budgets further, the council’s draft annual plan is available on the council’s website for consultation and your feedback.
The New Zealand Shearing Championships were held in Te Kūiti over the weekend, the first since Covid interrupted times. They were an outstanding success.
Thank you to the shearing committee for the work involved.
For next year there are calls for a council event to run alongside this. We will bring all stakeholders together to develop ideas.
Finally, I want to acknowledge those landlords and retailers in Te Kūiti and Piopio who have invested over the past 12 months to upgrade their buildings.
In Te Kūiti especially, there is more to be done. If every landlord played their part, the town centre could look amazing.
