Marlborough District Council set its annual plan budget for 2026/27 today, resulting in an average rates increase of 6.81%. The figure is provisional until the adoption of the budget by Council on 25 June.

Mayor Nadine Taylor said councillors had decided to defer a number of items of expenditure in order to reduce the impact on ratepayers this year.

“We will delay rates funding an increase in depreciation for three waters’ infrastructure, and we have postponed funding the Emergency Events Reserve, both for the next 12 months. We have also delayed the adjustment to our Covid rates relief discount applied during the pandemic,” she said.

“The original rates increase proposed for this year in our Long Term Plan 2024-34 was forecast at 8.8%, so this is a welcome reduction on that.”

“The rates increase this year would have been under 5% were it not for the Sounds roading recovery (0.5%),increased water infrastructure costs (0.8%) and adjusting for the Covid rates relief fund (0.68%), all of which are unavoidable.”

“It’s important to remember that Council’s core expenditure remains very much focussed on providing infrastructure, primarily roading, flood protection, waste management, water supply and community facilities. We have budgetted $132 million in capital expenditure this year, an increase of $45 million on what is projected to be spent for this 2025/26 financial year.”

“Roading and footpaths are the biggest item of Council capital expenditure with $60 milion allocated for improvements and renewals, including $27 million to continue the repairs and rebuilding of the storm damaged Sounds roading network. A further $27 million is allocated for water services’ investment, $23 million for flood protection, including a major stop bank rebuild at Spring Creek - and $18 million for property and community facilities.”

“Despite the challenging economic circumstances nationally and globally, it’s important that Council maintains its investment in Marlborough’s key infrastructure.”

Council staff proposed operational savings of over $600,000, which were supported by councillors. Councillors also supported resource increases, primarily for emergency management.

“I’d like to thank the 50 people and organisations that provided feedback via the new streamlined annual plan process last year. Your ideas covered many topics including community facilities, transport and infrastructure, environment and biodiversity, town centres and recreation,” Mayor Taylor said.

“Some ideas will be incorporated into future work programmes or considered through the Long Term Plan Working Group process where their costs and benefits can be assessed.

“The majority of ideas were referred to staff as they fit into Council’s operations as ‘business as usual.’ A small number were not supported as they fall outside Council’s area of responsibility.”

“We have had to take a conservative approach to the public’s proposals; as we indicated last year there is very little spare funding in this annual plan round as we work to keep rates as low as possible.”

Mayor Taylor said a full review of all budgets will be undertaken in advance of the Council’s ten-year Long Term Plan early next year, which will then be discussed with the community and open to public submission.

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