Wanganui District Council will not increase its rates take even though some key items have been restored to its 2014-15 annual plan.
Mayor Annette Main said that restoring funding for both the Wanganui East pool and the Virginia Lake aviary has been achieved without expanding council's draft budget.
Savings had been achieved because a start on upgrading the city's wastewater treatment plant had been delayed. This means running costs and interest costs associated with the soon-to-be upgraded plant will not come on stream immediately.
Ms Main said because the council determined to get the best possible advice on the design of the upgraded plant, the original timetable had been pushed back a few months.
"This has enabled us to save some running costs and interest costs and put other items back into the 2014/15 budget, while retaining the average rates increase of 4.9 per cent outlined in the Draft Annual Plan," she said.
She said the council had responded positively to a number of concerns raised by the community through the hearing process.
Last week councillors met and considered the submissions and that had seen some changes to the budget.
Most of that average rate increase - in fact 4.1 per cent of it - is due to the wastewater treatment plant and debt reduction costs.
Ms Main said residential rates will rise an average 4.5 per cent, farming 6.5 per cent, commercial 6.1 per cent and services just 2.7 per cent. But she stressed actual rates would vary for individual properties.
Although the Wanganui East pool funding had been reinstated she said the community groups will be asked to work alongside council to find a long-term answer to the future of an outdoor pool as a key community facility.
Councillors did remove $70,000 from the 2014-15 budget for air conditioning of the council chamber.
She said the Annual Plan process was an example of how the community and the council can work together to decide what was important to the community.
"As a council, we need to balance our debt and the level of rates our community can afford with providing both the core services those who live here need and what we need to do to grow our community and our economy," Ms Main said.
The council will meet on June 30 to formally adopt the Annual Plan.