Wednesday 26 June 2024
Today South Wairarapa District Council (SWDC) adopted its 2024-25 Enhanced Annual Plan (Enhanced AP) with a unanimous vote. The Enhanced AP sets out the budget, including rates, for 1 July 2024 – 30 June 2025.
The Enhanced AP was adopted following a month-long formal consultation process during April. The Council sincerely thanks everyone that took the time to make a formal submission, call or email their feedback, or attend any of the workshops and community drop-in sessions Council hosted across the district.
Deputy Mayor Melissa Sadler-Futter acknowledged the community members who helped Council get to this point. “I feel quite genuinely that around this table that we took feedback very seriously, and I hope that our communities can see that their feedback has fed into this document. I hope they can see we’ve focused on what they’ve told us is important.”
The 2024-25 budget includes a 14.7% total rates increase on 2023-24, or a total rates income of $29.174 million (+ GST). Some of the significant decisions include:
- An operational water budget of $5.61m (+GST). This is a moderate increase on the 2023-24 budget but maintains an overall increase on years before that. Other projects that were included on top of this are the Greytown Riparian Planting, Martinborough Wastewater Capacity Study and Stormwater and Flood Modelling.
- A new annual water allocation of 250 m³ per user (household, business and commercial) instead of 350 m³. A change to the excess water charge from $1.84 to $2.50 (incl. GST) per additional m³ will also take effect.
- A small adjustment to some fees and charges, including rubbish bags which will cost $4.90 instead of $3.00 each (incl. GST).
Also passed were three Rating Polices, some notable changes include:
- The general rate changing to being rated on the capital value of properties, instead of land value. Capital value considers the improvements on the land as well as the land value.
- Changes to how its fixed charge rates are applied to properties, with a rate being charged on each Separately Used or Inhabitable Part (SUIP) of a rating unit, rather than per rating unit. This means that where a rating unit has more than one use, and/or dwelling, each part of the rating unit will attract a separate fixed charge.
- Remission of rates policy includes two amendments to reflect the community feedback for owner/occupier retail ratepayers as well as rural situations where previously required buildings linked to the operation of pastoral and dairy farms are no longer used or where they provide accommodation required for the operation of the farm.
The published version of the Enhanced AP will be available in late July. A ‘final draft’ version, along with the Rating Policies can be accessed through the agenda for today’s meeting.
South Wairarapa ratepayers will receive their first rates instalment for 2024-25 in July which will include their new rates.
Ends
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