After hiking Raglan rates by a huge amount last year, the Waikato District Council is proposing another huge increase for Raglan this year. While farming properties will once again see small increases of about 2%, Raglan property owners will see their rates shoot up by about 5 to 7%. And on top of that some ratepayers will get an extra increase this year as some of last year’s increased was capped.
Another increase that may come in, is a proposed increase of the Hall rate in Raglan from $15 a year to $25. That works out at about an increase of about 0.5%, bringing the total increase up 7.5% for many Raglan folk. Feedback on this increase is asked for in the submission form supplied with the draft Annual Plan.
With annual inflation running at just 0.9%, the Waikato District Council rates increase for Raglan works out at over five times the rate of inflation.
In addition to this large increase in rates income, WDC will be increasing its debt from the current level of $63.5 million (2012/2013) to $89.2 million in 2013/2014. That works out at borrowing an additional half a million dollars every week to keep the books balanced.
Part of the increased expenditure is for staff, with costs shooting up by 4.8%. With inflation now at just 0.9% and many people in NZ having a reduced or a very small increase income, this 4.8% increase at Waikato District is out of line.
The cross subsidy of towns to the rural area continues to increase. While discretionary funds in the towns are funded by special rate that only town people pay, the rural wards discretionary fund is funded from the general rate.
In terms of benefits for Raglan, the draft Annual Plan does allow for a $15,000 subsidy for the Raglan Chamber of Commerce’s Sunday bus service.
Apart from that it is the projects locked into the plan last year, with Raglan getting money spent on a water treatment plant upgrade, water main upgrades, storm water improvements, Whaanga Coast Waste Water Scheme and waste water pump upgrades. Money has been put aside for renovating the Raglan Library as well as upgrading the solid waste transfer station ($64,000) and fixing unspecified boat ramps.
The extravagent project to install water meters in Raglan is still in the plan.
Overall the plan displays the quirkiness of the Waikato District Council. A $3,000 purchase of roading manuals is clearly shown, but a roading project needs to be at a cost of hundreds of thousands of dollars to get a mention.
The WDC remains focussed on the north, believing that growth is low elsewhere and with most big ticket projects shown for Tuakau, Pokeno and Te Kauwhata.
Waikato District’s Draft Annual Plan is open now for submissions from Raglan resident and ratepayers. Gavin Ion, CEO of Wakato District will be in Raglan on the 18th April to brief people on the plan and to answer questions. So come along to the Raglan Town Hall Supper Room on the 18th at 7pm.
Both the summary and the full document are available on the Waikato District Council’s website www.waikatodistrict.govt.nz. The submission forms are also on line (http://www.waikatodistrict.govt.nz/Have-your-say.aspx.) as a way of making it easier for people to make their submissions.
Spending on staff and suppliers is planned to increase 15.96% this next year (pdf page 71). That’s why Raglan rates are going up 4% for a $1.2m house and 7% for a $193,000 house, plus the massive increase in borrowing to be paid by future ratepayers. Why do they ask for submitters’ approval of up to $15,000 for the Raglan bus, but not for a jump of over $1m in the amount spent on Tamahere Structure Plan? This Plan doesn’t show what else is being spent on buses, but the last plan showed 1.3% of the Roading budget for buses, well below the 5% of ratepayers without cars. The boat ramp spending is $23,000 district-wide, plus the same at Rangiriri and $17,000 at Puti (page 90).