Rodney District Council today approved its ten year Long Term Council Community Plan (LTCCP), which includes a 4.9% average rate increase for the coming year.
The Plan sets out Council services, projects and expenditure from 1 July 2009 to 30 June 2019.
The rate increase is less than the 5.2% increase proposed in the draft Plan which was released for consultation in April. If Rodney ratepayers were to stop paying for regional amenities, such as the Auckland Zoo and MOTAT, the average rates increase would only be 2.6%.
Some of the major projects set out for the District over the next decade which have been included in the Plan include roading, water and wastewater improvements. The Council also plans to progress the development of Penlink.
844 submissions were received to the LTCCP on a variety of topics. Some of the most frequently commented on topics include:
- Rate increases for Kawau Island Properties
- The level of rates increase
- Requests for footpath improvements
- Changes to financial policies – development contributions, the rating policy, financial divisions and volumetric charging for wastewater.
As a result of submissions the Council made some changes to its Revenue and Finance Policy.
Island and Sea Access properties, which include Kawau Island properties will not now have to contribute towards the transport rate. The Council also decided to reduce the Uniform Annual General Charge (UAGC) from 30%, as proposed in the draft Plan, to 25%.
These changes will result in Kawau Properties paying around $117 less per property than the amount indicated in the draft document.
A number of submissions also requested that the Council set aside some funding for footpaths. The LTCCP includes funding for a contestable footpath fund, and also includes money for footpath improvements in a number of townships in the later years of the Plan.
A number of other changes were also made to the draft LTCCP as a result of submissions.
Some minor changes were made to the Development Contributions policy, but no changes were made to the proposals in the draft document on other specific consultation issues which included the proposal to move to having one financial division for the district, and in the future to charge for wastewater based on usage.
Funding to install parking machines has been removed from the Plan as a result of the Council’s recent decision not to introduce pay and display parking.
Last week the Council approved a submission to the Select Committee on Auckland Governance legislation recommending that Rodney be excluded from the Auckland Super City and become a Unitary Council.
It is expected that even if Rodney becomes part of the Super City, the Long Term Council Community Plan adopted by the Council today will be used to guide decision making over the next three years.
The Plan was independently reviewed by Audit New Zealand who issued a clear audit opinion. It has also been reviewed and confirmed by the Auckland Transition Agency.
Click here to view the LTCCP.
For further information please contact:
Warren Maclennan
Rodney District Council
Phone 0800 426 5169