Tauranga ratepayers will have to pay a total of $126 to the Bay of Plenty Regional Council this year - an increase of nearly 6 per cent.
The $7 increase in the regional's general rate came two days after the Tauranga City Council lifted its rates by 3.3 per cent.
It meant that the average Tauranga ratepayer currently paying a total of $2070 to both councils will soon be paying $2141 - up $71. This figure included Tauranga's uniform annual water charge but not water charged through the meter.
The regional council met on Thursday to finalise its 10-year plan, including how much to increase the general rate to the Bay's six territorial councils.
After strong hardship submissions, it whittled down the original proposed increase of $29 for ratepayers in the Western Bay District Council to $9. However, Western Bay district ratepayers will still pay the region's highest general rate of $153 - an increase of 6.25 per cent.
Regional chairman John Cronin said the council worked hard to keep increases realistic while still maintaining a wide range of services.
Priority projects for the next 10 years included improving the environment of Tauranga Harbour, reducing nutrient run-off into the Rotorua Lakes and improving Rotorua's air quality.
Other priorities were to improve the region's infrastructure, clean up contaminated sites, administer the Tauranga and Rotorua bus services, and river drainage and flood management.
This year's regional infrastructure programme will include spending $2.6 million to build culverts under the Tauranga Eastern Link in order to retain development opportunities for existing business-zoned land in rural areas. The business-zoned land would otherwise be inaccessible by the construction of the Eastern Link.
Mr Cronin said $3.9 million would be spent on work on the Tauranga Harbour and its catchments.
The council has changed the timing of the investigation and consenting needed to redivert the Kaituna River back into Maketu Estuary. The work would now be carried out over three years instead of two, deferring the start of construction to 2015-16.
Mr Cronin said the council had also added nutrient management plan targets for dairy farms on catchments that emptied into Tauranga Harbour.
The target was to have 30 per cent of farms with nutrient plans in place by June 30 next year, 60 per cent by 2014 and 90 per cent by 2015.
The council also committed itself to efficiency savings totalling $750,000 over the next three years.
In other decisions, the council agreed to contribute $200,000 towards the $600,000 cost to seal the unsealed portion of Oropi Rd that winds through bush that is the catchment for Tauranga's water supply.
Tauranga Environment Centre's enviro-hub will receive $27,000 and the regional waste strategy will be reviewed at a cost of $50,000.