The Tasman District Council will commence consultations on its Annual Plan for the 2025/2026 financial year from 12 May to 25 May. The plan proposes a rates revenue increase of 8.8%.

Tasman's Long Term Plan (LTP) 2024-2034 established the Council's plans and costs for the next 10 years. For the financial year 2025/2026, we anticipated an overall rates revenue increase of 7% with a net debt of $290m.

Since then, the increased costs for 2025/2026 have become apparent, including the Government directed water-related costs as late as last month which have added a further $0.5million to the operating budgets.

Other higher than anticipated costs include interest rates, funding future renewals of our assets (because of increased asset valuations), electricity costs and maintenance costs.

In October 2024 staff forecasted a deficit at end of the financial year of $6.5m, which indicated that the proposed 7% rates revenue increase forecasted in the Long Term Plan (2024 – 2034) would be difficult to achieve and was more likely to be close to 13.5%.

Mayor Tim King stated at the time that this number was not acceptable, for a community that is already experiencing rising cost pressures.

Since October last year, the Mayor and councilors have been working with staff to reduce the impact on the rates revenue increase. Although there is no single solution, several initiatives have been implemented, such as reducing staff costs by $1.4 million and making changes to capital budgets and service delivery models.

Additionally, we have limited the impact with a proposed 10% increase in fees and charges, as well as selling excess Council property and reducing external consultant costs.

Consequently, we have been able to reduce the proposed rates revenue increase to 8.8%.

The result of these changes is that the proposed rates revenue increase is 8.8% (excluding growth) for 2025/2026, and net debt will be $299m.

The actual increase in rates will be felt differently across the District. Some households and businesses may see an increase nearer 13% and others as low as 1.5%, depending on the services they use and mix of different rates they pay.

Consultation on the proposed plan will take place from 12 May until 25 May.

Consultation material is available online via Shape Tasman and in hard copy from Council offices and libraries.

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