Rates increases as Hauraki District Council adopts 2023/24 Annual Plan

The Hauraki District Council has adopted its 2023/24 Annual Plan, which includes rates rises in line with inflation. Photo / Hauraki District Council

The Hauraki District Council has adopted its 2023/24 Annual Plan, setting the rates for the coming rating year at 6.8 per cent for non-water (land) rates and 8.9 per cent for water rates, from July 1 2023.

The rise equates to an additional $13.35 on a $150 bi-annual water bill.

“With the increased cost of living pressure for everyone, our goal on setting the rates for the 2023/24 rating year was to keep costs as low as possible for our communities without impacting our core services, and importantly, trying to keep the increase below inflation,” said Hauraki District Council Mayor Toby Adams.

Hauraki District Council Mayor Toby Adams.

He added that increased costs from inflation, higher interest rates on borrowings and material shortages put pressure on the budgets that the council had forecast for year three of the 2021-2031 Long Term Plan.

“Going forward, we really had to sharpen our pencil to take into account these unplanned increases while trying to keep the rates rise under inflation. We’re pleased that at the time of setting the non-water [land] rates, we were able to achieve this for our communities,” he said.

Inflation is now sitting at 6.7 per cent, which is a drop from 7.2 per cent in February 2022.

The council also reviewed the 2023/24 fees and charges and adopted these at the April 26 council meeting. The fees and charges remain mostly unchanged. There are some increases to the building consent and dog registration fees and some administrative amendments. The new fees and charges schedule will be available on the council website from June 2023.

“We’ve trimmed our budgets as much as possible without impacting our core services and we’re ready to tackle the challenges of the new rating year. We know times are tougher out there so we’ll need to work together to get the best for our communities. They’re always at the heart of everything we do,” Adams said.

The 2023/24 Annual Plan is available for viewing at Hauraki District Council service centres and libraries or on the council website.