Submissions open

Our last LTP predicted an average rate increase of 4.96% for 2024/25. In this draft plan the proposed increase is sitting at 15.5% for the same year, with a proposed rates limit of 7% for all remaining years.

In the Consultation Document we dig into what’s driving this significant increase for year 1 and outline our plan of action on key priority areas to ‘keep the beat’ going in the heart of Taranaki.

District Mayor, Neil Volzke says the rate increase is at a level no one wanted. “Being in the double digits hurts, and we know it won’t be welcomed by our ratepayers. But we believe we’ve done everything we can to get the rates down without lowering key service levels and jeopardising future progress for our district.”

“When we started working on the LTP we were facing a potential 30% increase. This was to include everything we felt our community had asked for in terms of service levels and key projects. To cut that in half, we’ve had to consider a more ‘back to basics’ approach which means minimising spending on nice-to-have projects, reducing budgets where possible, and focusing on maintaining the core essentials.”

“We needed to be realistic, and to be frank we just can’t afford everything. We’re not alone in this, districts up and down the country are grappling with increasing costs and the difficult task of paying for these which directly impacts on rates. Our proposed rate increase has come out slightly under the national average.”

“For some context when reading through our proposed LTP, a 1% rate increase equals approximately $160,000 in our budget.”

“It’s been a long road to get to this point, and now we need our community to step up and make their submissions. We want to know if people think we can save more? What are they willing to lose to keep rates down? Do they agree with our top priorities and our proposed plan of action for these?”

“Please do take the opportunity to share your views, attend our public meetings or get in touch with us to talk more,” says Neil.