Marlborough Express - Weekend Express
He kōrero nā te Kaunihera o Wairau. News from Marlborough District Council. Council proposes Long Term Plan budget
Council is proposing a Long Term Plan 2024/2034 budget that sees new investment in the region’s infrastructure, funds repairs to Marlborough Sounds’ roads, provides increases in some levels of service and removes the Council’s Covid rates relief subsidy.
This year’s proposed baseline rates increase is 8.47 per cent, which includes inflation and the new wheelie bin service. The removal of the Covid rates relief subsidy, which has kept rates increases down for the last three years, leads to an additional 5.11 per cent increase for this coming financial year. After discussion by Mayor Nadine Taylor and councillors on Monday, including to levels of service increases and fees, a proposed rates increase of 12.65 per cent will go out for public consultation in April.
Mayor Nadine Taylor said many councils were facing double digit increases but Marlborough’s increase was at the lower end of the scale.
“We’re not alone in facing increased costs due to factors outside our control, such as inflation, contract price increases, the on-going impact of damaging storms and the lasting effects of the Covid pandemic.”
“However, we are not proposing to cut services and we’re continuing to invest in core infrastructure - roads, footpaths, waste management, water supply and community services and facilities - because we don’t want to see Marlborough going backwards.”
“Over the next 10 years our investment in infrastructure will be $790M, which is $85M more than our previous ten year plan, from 2021 to 2031. This year’s capital expenditure on infrastructure will be in the order of $80M,” she said.
“Over the last three years the Covid Rates Relief Fund reduced rates for everyone across Marlborough by the equivalent of $12.8M. This fund now needs to be unwound including by selling up to $4.5 million of Council-owned carbon credits.”
A number of additional funding requests, including for new repairs and upgrades to stop banks, improvements to parks and reserves, increased road maintenance budgets and funding a new pavilion at A&P Park in Blenheim will be proposed.
One of the most significant items is the Marlborough Sounds Roading Funding Recovery. Council is proposing to fund $106M of ratepayer contributions over the next 25 years split between Sounds property owners, who would contribute 29 per cent, and the rest of Marlborough at 71 per cent.
You can have your say and make a submission from 4 April to 6 May. There will be public meetings and hearings - further information on these will be made available soon.