Public consultation on the annual plan begins in Whanganui on Monday. Photo / Bevan Conley.
Whanganui ratepayers will face average rates rise of 7.9 per cent according to Whanganui District Council’s draft annual plan which goes out for public consultation next week.
Councillors signed off the plan this week.
However, the average rates rise could top 8 per cent, should the council’s aviary at Rotokawau Virginia Lake be saved from closure.
Council officers recommended closing the facility but the council’s strategy and policy committee’s preferred option was to invest to address animal welfare standards.
Council chief financial officer Mike Fermor estimated the rate increase would rise to 8.2 or 8.3 per cent if that option was confirmed by councillors after public consultation.
A complete revamp of the facility, the third option, could result in a rates increase of about 8.4 or 8.5 per cent.
Excluding the aviary, the council needs to collect $73.497 million - up from 67.5 million for 2022/23.
Councillor Rob Vinsen told the committee there had been a general acceptance from the public about a rates rise of under 8 per cent.
“The decision we have just made (aviary funding) takes it quite a way past that,” he said.
“I think it’s particularly disappointing that we’ve come to this conclusion after all this work.”
Council policy manager Elise Broadbent said kerbside recycling, originally due to start on July 1, would now begin “before July next year”.
“We are still working through the procurement process for the kerbside recycling service, to ensure the best level of service and confirm a start date.
“When that happens, it will be funded through central government waste levies and loans through the remainder of (the) next financial year.
“The targeted rate for this service will start on July 1, 2024.”
Public consultation on changes to fees and charges will also run between April 3 and April 30.
Broadbent said increases were proposed for building and resource consent fees, health registration fees, and cemetery fees.
Mayor Andrew Tripe said staff had gone through the council books “line by line” to get rates as low as possible while still delivering on what made Whanganui a great place to live.
“The challenge for councils all around New Zealand is that we’re grappling with unprecedented cost increases – whether it’s insurance and interest rate hikes or the soaring cost of bitumen for roads, to name just a few examples,” Tripe said.
According to the draft annual plan consultation document, cuts have been made to the coastal plan budget (from $350,000 to $150,000), the climate change budget (from $200,000 to $100,000), and heritage building preservation grants (from 250,000 to $150,000).
The sports and recreation contract for Sport Whanganui will be reduced by $60,000 and the sports and recreation contestable funding will be reduced by $50,000
The council’s salary budget has been reduced by $2.1 million and a management restructure resulted in savings of $460,000.
Around $100,000 was saved through minor reductions to budgets for printing, stationery, and travel/accommodation.
Deferrals include town centre regeneration placemaking projects, the War Memorial Centre copper dome replacement, the City Bridge pedestrian/bike walkway project, the North Mole carpark and amenities and Morgan St to North Mole road extension, and the council’s youth hub project.
Capital funding for housing to the tune of $1.75 million has also been deferred as the work programme is still being established.
Deputy mayor Helen Craig said the final rates increase of 7.9 per cent was confirmed during a comprehensive annual plan workshop on March 15.
“It’s mainly cutbacks on items rather than not doing them at all, and it’s really just to get the rates down, no other reason.
“Some people may say they don’t want to cut those things and I’d be very keen to hear from them.”
The 7.9 increase is an average only.
The draft document states that a residential property with an average capital value (CV) of $534,000 can expect an increase of 8.1 per cent but a lifestyle property with an average CV of $923,000 could face a 12.6 per cent increase.
An increase of 6.2 per cent can be expected for a commercial property with an average CV of $1,869,000 and a farm with an average CV of $2,230,000 will have a 7.6 per cent increase.
Capital value is the most likely selling price at the date of valuation, which in Whanganui was October 1.
Councillors Philippa Baker-Hogan and Ross Fallen said more information needed to be put into the consultation document regarding the funding of the Sarjeant Gallery, and why it wasn’t being consulted on publicly and the aviary was.
Craig said the gallery needed to be completed.
“The aviary is an option - you either do nothing, pull it down or rebuild it in a way that will meet some standards - whereas with the Sarjeant, what do you do? Do you not finish the project?
“There is no debate. You’re in the middle of the project and you have to finish it. There is no point consulting.”
The annual plan must be adopted before June 30.
Broadbent said people could talk to council staff about the annual plan at the Davis Library on April 4, the Duncan Pavilion on April 14, the Extravaganza Fair at Kowhai Park on April 15, the Hakeke St Library on April 19, and the Gonville Library on April 26.
She said the consultation document would be available on the council’s website and hard copies could be picked up from council building and libraries.
They were also able to be posted if required.