Proposed Wellington City rates rise kept to 7.88%

Wellington’s proposed rates increase in the Draft Annual Plan is slightly lower than expected.

City Councillors signed off the Draft Annual Plan this afternoon. It will now go out for public consultation between 20 April and 20 May.

The average rates increase under the Draft Annual Plan has been kept to 7.88 percent, just under the 7.9 percent originally projected for the 2005/06 year. The increase includes provision for the proposed V8 Supercar race series – which is to be the subject of a separate public consultation starting this Friday 18 March.

Mayor Kerry Prendergast says she and other Councillors are acutely aware of residents’ concerns about rates rises but that has to be balanced with the Council’s responsibility to make Wellington an internationally-competitive city that is a great place in which to work, live and play, and the continued need to maintain and build infrastructure.

“Councillors and Council staff have worked extremely hard to keep the rates as low as possible. The booming economy has also placed pressures on our costs but we have managed to contain increases in that regard,” she says.

“The Draft Annual Plan does, however, have some exciting new initiatives in it this year including development of the Marine Education Centre and the Karori Sanctuary,” Mayor Prendergast says.

The Plan contains new initiatives that support the Council’s economic development strategy and the Creative Wellington – Innovation Capital vision but it also includes projects that boost tourism, boost our events calendar, provide for our younger and more senior citizens, upgrade recreational facilities and maintain the foundations of the city.

Strategy and Policy Committee Chair Robert Armstrong says the Council has to ensure that core business and key infrastructure are maintained. “A huge amount of work has been done on city infrastructure in past years, such as stormwater protection, and that continues to contribute to rates increases. Good infrastructure is important in a city.”

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