Rates rise floated

The new Tauranga City Council will attempt to tackle the city's flooding issues head on, with a proposed five per cent targeted rate increase to pay for urgent stormwater works.

The proposal was brought to the table by Councilor John Robson during today's council meeting.

It comes after a group of flood devastated Matua and Mount Maunganui residents this week told councilors how their homes had been inundated with raw sewerage during extreme weather events.

The proposal would add another $5 million to the councils current $5.5 million storm water
spend and would save council borrowing an extra $40 million over the next five years to pay for storm water works.