Council Chief Executive Gavin Ion said the rates increases are necessary across a number of services to ensure the people who have the services pay for them. There is a need to upgrade and improve water systems to meet New Zealand drinking water standards and to maintain and improve our wastewater systems.
“As yet these increases do not fully reflect the costs of providing the services. An element of General Rate is required to bridge the gap.
“In recent years we’ve had minor increases and these increases have not kept up with costs. Targeted rates in the Waikato district will still generally continue to be lower than neighbouring councils,” he said.
Council will begin consultation on the Draft Annual Plan at the end of March and people will have the opportunity then to comment on the proposed rise.
Targeted rates vary by area. To meet costs in some cases the required increase for non-metered water supply could have been up to 24 per cent but Council has reduced the impact by supplementing the increase with the general rate to bring back the increase to 17 per cent. The increase, in the urban areas of Raglan, Ngaruawahia and Huntly amounts to $87 per year.
“It is appropriate to include the general rate as some of the non-serviced areas in the district are supplied with fire-fighting and tankered potable water from the district’s towns. There is a general benefit to the urban community in having potable water supplies for public health and fire fighting,” he said.
Current 2010/2011 targeted rates levels for metered water supply in Hauraki, Matamata Piako, Thames Coromandel and Waipa districts are $81 – $386 higher than Waikato District Council’s targeted rate.
The move to district-wide water metering is expected to defer significant capital expenditure over the next two decades. The district-wide water metering programme is due to start in Raglan in the second half of this year.
During the next five years Council will introduce water metering into Ngaruawahia, Raglan and Huntly. Almost half the connections in the Waikato district are already metered. Water meters are in place in Te Kauwhata, Meremere, Gordonton, Matangi and Te Akau South, while all new water connections are metered.
“The move towards metering means that people can pay less for their water supply. If your household is smaller or chooses to use less water, your metered charge will reflect that.
“The emphasis is on water demand management and ensuring wise use of a limited resource,” Mr Ion said.