Marlborough homeowners to finally get new rates bill

Ratepayers will be sent a letter informing them of this year’s rise within two weeks, with the council wanting to let people know the increase is for spending deemed important in its Long-Term Plan (LTP).

That’s despite Prime Minister Christopher Luxon taking a swipe at councils during the Local Government New Zealand conference in Wellington last month.

The Prime Minister suggested councils across the country were wasting money and urged them to cut spending. He even took aim at the spending needed to build the Wellington City Council’s convention centre, Tākina, where he did the speech.

At an emergency meeting on Monday morning, the council adopted its 2024-34 LTP and set rates for the next year. The rates increase came in at 13.6%.

Part of the delay in setting the rates had come down to the council receiving its insurance premiums at the last minute. The council got its insurance bill on June 26, a day after LTP deliberations on June 25.

The plan then had to be audited.

Council chief financial officer Geoff Blake said the audit report on the plan was only received on Friday with a qualification related to two matters.

But Audit New Zealand was not in a position to “satisfy themselves” with some of the council’s forecasts, particularly those for the “early years” of the LTP, Geoff said.

However, Geoff said the council could be confident with the numbers.

“Unfortunately, new rates of inflation issued in July were higher than the ones we used in the LTP.

“Despite this, the plan still represents a good basis for long-term, integrated decision making and co-ordination of the council’s resources and for accountability to the community.

“It is pleasing therefore to finally be able to set rates for 2024-25, and I would like to thank Marlborough ratepayers for their patience.”

Geoff told councillors that staff would “move immediately” to get rates notices and invoices to the public.

“I mean this afternoon,” he said.

Rates notices were being prepared and would be posted to ratepayers within two weeks.

According to a report in the meeting agenda, ratepayers would have until October 11 to pay their next rates instalment, although they had been able to continue making payments towards their rates during the auditing period.

Deputy mayor David Croad asked that when these notices did go out, the public was made aware of why the timing would be different to normal.

Wairau-Awatere ward councillor Gerald Hope said messages of “luxuries” needed to be killed, and he did not want the council’s reputation to suffer as a result of other “poor performing” councils around the country.

“There's a synchronicity about what’s being talked about, and my concern is the messaging this year,” Gerald said.

“Ratepayers need to know clearly just where the money goes.

“Let’s be honest – there’s nothing new in this, but this year it’s got to have more impact.”

He said he wanted to know how the criticisms that came out of the local government conference related to Marlborough’s council performance.

Marlborough mayor Nadine Taylor said the council would make sure it was clearly explained that the Long-term Plan was “focused on the basics” and always had been.

“That is why our infrastructure is in the good order that it is in,” she said.

The plan set out the council’s spending for the next 10 years.

The Marlborough Sounds road repairs, estimated to cost $230 million in total, was the biggest piece of work in the plan. NZ Transport Agency Waka Kotahi still needed to release its decision on its contribution to funding for the repairs.

The mayor said the budget for roading showed the council was focused on the basics.

Other projects in the plan included repairs to stop banks in Spring Creek, dredging of the Taylor and Ōpaoa rivers, more public toilets, and funding for the new A&P pavilion.

But the council had looked at ways to save money, including increasing cemetery fees and making changes to parking charges in the central business district.

LDR is local body journalism co-funded by RNZ and NZ On Air.