“ARC adopts 2000/2001 rate”
“ARC adopts 2000/2001 rate”
Friday June 30, 2000
Following 85 written submissions of its 2000/01 Annual Plan, the Auckland Regional Council today adopted a total regional rate of $69 million – an increase of $4 million over the previous year.
Chairman of the Council, Mr Philip Warren, said that the Council was able to incorporate a number of proposed changes that the region requested while not increasing the rate any further that it initially proposed.
“The Regional Council has been able to achieve a number of efficiencies in the past year which have resulted in a surplus for the 1999/2000 year. This surplus, along with new cost savings, will be used to fund the additional projects in Environmental Quality and Parks.”
Most of the
submissions that were received called for more expenditure
or more guidance. In summary, additions to the Draft Annual
Plan include:
a $27,500 allocation towards
riparian management in the Wairoa Catchment;
a
$5,000 allocation for the removal of algae washed up on
beaches (such as has occurred at Omana);
a
$5,000 allocation to provide information to the community on
marine biology and other environmental programmes;
funding for additional pollution control
officers to increase the Council’s protection pollution
control programme;
a $6,000 allocation for the
re-routing of pedestrian access at Whakanewha Regional Park;
a $12,500 allocation for the investigation into
the capacity and adequacy of the sewage disposal systems on
regional parks; and
an increase of $500,000 in
the cash reserve to fund regional park purchases (to be
funded from the 1999/2000 surplus).
Mr Warren said that the Council appreciated the time that individuals and groups put into their submissions and he hoped that people would continue to actively participate in Council projects.
“Initiatives that individuals and community
groups undertake to make a difference to our region and
environment all impact on the funding that this Council
needs to call for via rates.
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For further
information, contact:
Philip Warren, Chairman Auckland
Regional Council, Tel. 366 2045 or
Megan Perry,
Communications, Auckland Regional Council, Tel. 366 2000
extn
7135