As part of our Annual Budget consultation, we are asking Aucklanders for feedback on a number of issues, including the level of rates increase for 2017/2018.
From parks and community facilities to roads, pathways, buses, trains and rubbish collections, your rates help fund the services and facilities that keep our city moving, clean and liveable.
We work hard to strike a balance between keeping rates rises minimal while sustaining the investment levels needed to maintain, improve and deliver new and existing services to Aucklanders.
Savings identified
In our 10-year budget, we projected an average rates increase of 3.5 per cent would be needed for 2017/2018 to deliver our planned investments and services.
The latest review of our budgets has identified additional savings that will allow us to deliver the same things for about $15 million less.
For this Annual Budget, we have three options for the level of rates increase in the next financial year, each impacting on our ability to deliver services and investment.
Option A: 3.5 per cent
We had initially planned a rates increase of 3.5 per cent (that’s around $1.55 a week for an average-value residential property) for 2017/2018.
We could keep the increase at 3.5 per cent and use the savings we have identified to invest even more in things like transport, walking and cycling infrastructure and sports field development.
Option B: 2.5 per cent
By using the $15 million of additional savings, we could increase rates by only 2.5 per cent, which is around $1.10 a week for an average-value residential property.
This would allow us to deliver all our previously planned investments, but nothing extra.
Option C: 2 per cent
We could limit the rates increase to 2 per cent, or 90c a week for an average-value residential property.
This smaller rates rise would impact on our ability to deliver all council services and likely require us to forgo or delay some planned improvements or investments in council facilities and services. It could also result in higher interest costs for the council.