Ratepayers to pay more after council agrees to rates rise

Tauranga ratepayers face another rates rise. Photo / File

Tauranga ratepayers will face an average 3.9 per cent residential rates rise from July.

The figure has been agreed by Tauranga City Council after two days of Annual Plan deliberations.

It has not changed from that in the draft Annual Plan, despite new projects and funding being added to the council's books today that threatened to lift the rise to 4.1 per cent.

To bring the rise down again, council staff were instructed to find $300,000 worth of savings elsewhere in the budget.

The rise equates to about $90 extra for the average ratepayer.

Adding the cost of the council's new glass collection service, the average rise will be 4.3 per cent.

The rate was scheduled to be formally struck on June 18.

A motion by Councillor Max Mason to add an extra 2 per cent to the increase to pay down the council's debt was voted down.