Farewell to hefty rates rise
Andrew King has ruled out any future major rates hikes if re-elected mayor.
Hamilton’s incumbent mayor made the pledge to an audience of mainly retirees at the Pukete Neighbourhood House on Wednesday.
This year’s election campaign has seen traditional talking points like rates and city debt take a back seat to hot button issues such as climate change and sustainability.
But for Hamiltonians on a fixed income, rates affordability remains a concern and that unease drew some big promises from the city’s mayoral candidates.
King told the audience he inherited a rundown city in 2016, with the Founders Theatre and Waterworld in disrepair.
The 9.7 per cent rates increase in 2018 was necessary to ensure the council could maintain the city’s assets, King said.
However, he ruled out any further hefty hikes under his watch.
‘‘A majority of councillors supported me through the process to actually put the books right and to actually start fixing the city,’’ King said.
‘‘We’re in a very strong position financially. We won’t ever have another increase like we’ve had while I’m the mayor and we can run the city how we should.’’
Mayoral candidate Angela O’Leary promises to align future rates increases to the Consumer Price Index and disputes King’s assertion the city was rundown when he became mayor.
O’Leary said innovative funding models and prudent council purchasing could help provide residents with rates certainty.
The Government also has to start paying its ‘‘fair share’’, she said.
‘‘Crown owned land only pays a small amount of rates. If you look at the hospital, all they pay is water and rubbish and yet there are an awful lot of roading networks and transportation services that the city pays for, that you pay for, so I would lobby Government to pay their fair share.’’
Mayoral contender Paula Southgate said she was ‘‘really disappointed’’ by the condition of some city assets when she was elected onto council in 2016 but believes the 9.7 per cent rate hike went too far.
In a not-so-subtle dig at her rival, O’Leary, Southgate said she’d like to promise to align rates increases to the Consumer Price Index ‘‘but I can’t because I won’t promise what I can’t deliver’’.
‘‘But what I am promising is that it [rates increases] won’t go above the 3.8 per cent in the three years and I’ll be looking for every single opportunity to bring it down from there.’’
Mayoral candidate Louise Hutt said older ratepayers helped build up the city assets. That legacy is at risk if the council ignores climate change.
‘‘If we don’t act on climate change we are betraying the investment that you’ve put into our city to get it where it is now,’’ Hutt said to an approving audience.
Candidate Mike West said council spending has outstripped inflation over the past decade and urges voters to elect candidates willing to stand up to the ‘‘council machine’’.
Jack Gielen, echoing Hutt’s sentiments, said the council has to act on climate change.
‘‘Our street drains are already flooding,’’ he said.
Mayoral candidates Lisa Lewis and James Casson didn’t attend Wednesday’s debate.