It’s the Christmas present no Waipā ratepayer wanted – a 15.5 per cent rate increase from July next year – but all bar one councillor thinks they did enough to keep it at that.
Roger Gordon at a recent meeting was the only councillor to vote against the increase.
Waipā District Council will send its Draft 2025-2034 Long Term Plan out for community consultation with rate increases of 15.5, 10.7 and 6.9 per cent in the first three years having pared $198 million off the original budget.
By year four, and subsequent years, the increase would be 2.3 per cent.
All councillors except Cambridge’s Roger Gordon voted to send the plan out. Deputy mayor Liz Stolwyk said it was the “least proud” she had ever been with a Long Term Plan.
Liz Stolwyk at a recent meeting
The council needed to be at the top of their game to communicate with the community about the plan because many residents had lot trust and confidence with them, she said.
There were some non-negotiables when it came to operating levels of service – no one wanted to see weeds in footpaths and gardens, she said.
“I need our ratepayers to know we’ve got their backs.”
Gordon said he believed there were still “nice to haves” included in the budget and reminded councillors there were a huge amount of people who were no longer on fixed incomes.
“They’re on reduced incomes.”
Mike Montgomerie
Cr Mike Montgomerie said he believed councillors worked well together on the budget.
“If this was my own business, this is what I would be doing.”
Cr Clare St Pierre was disappointed the council did not find any income generating opportunities while Dale-Maree Morgan said the Māori ratepayers she represented “won’t be happy” paying higher rates on land that was stolen from them.
Clare St Pierre at a meeting
Mike Pettit
Cr Mike Pettit said the newspaper headline would be 15.5 per cent but there would be ratepayers paying less and he too was disappointed there was no extra income being generated.
“Those with money, create money. We’ve got no money.”
Mayor Susan O’Regan said the Long Term Plan was an extremely delicate balancing act and the council had been able to pare back $198 million from the original budget.
“We do not want levels of service to go backwards.”
She reminded councillors the council had invested in the past; stimulated economic growth and brought people to the district with support for Karāpiro and the Velodrome where thousands of athletes competed at the weekend.
Mayor Susan O’Regan at a recent meeting.
Rates up
