Ashburton rate rise signed off

Nicole Mathewson Reporter from The Press

From local democracy reporter Jonathan Leask:

An annual plan featuring an extra $1 million for roading and carrying a 5.9% average rate rise has been adopted in Ashburton.

The district council added $1m for extra roading rehabilitation to respond to community demands when it signed off the plan at Wednesday’s council meeting.

To include the additional road funding and keep the rates rise down, the council had a budget reshuffle that delayed about $1.3m of water main and wastewater renewals that were now unlikely to be completed by June 2024.

Councillor Carolyn Cameron described it as a reasonable plan and said councillors “have thought about things very carefully”.

In an economic climate of high inflation, Councillor Tony Todd said to “strike an average of 5.9% is a good outcome”.

The rates for next year “reaches a good balance recognising the services and benefits the people of our district receive”, councillor Richard Wilson said.

“It includes the $1m extra for roading which is trying to bring our roads up to the standard the people of the district desire.”

Ashburton mayor Neil Brown was away when the plan was signed off, but in the annual plan document said “roads are one of our most important assets – and the community has made it clear to us they want them to be a focus”.

With an eye on the Government’s three waters reform and the impending takeover, the council is set to install UV water treatment ($2.9m) along with the completion of the Methven/Methven-Springfield and the Mt Somers membrane treatment plants.​