Like households and other organisations, we have been impacted by increases in things like inflation, interest rates and everyday products. These pressures have been a major factor in the 7.7% increase in total rates for this financial year, though this is still less than the 8.3% rise signalled in our long-term plan.
During April we consulted with the community on our proposed budget and in May we held 4 sessions over 2 days of hearings listening to our community. Elected members then spent a long day in the chamber attempting to find the right balance between keeping costs as low as possible, while maintaining the services you rely on.
Council adopted the rates at its meeting on 14 June 2023. The property values issued in 2021 were used to assess individual rates for the current rating year, which began on 1 July 2023.