Rates set to rise in ECan plan

Environment Canterbury (ECan) rates are set to rise under the council’s new Long Term Plan (LTP)..

In contrast to the marathon budget-setting meeting at the Christchurch City Council yesterday, ECan’s LTP for 2015-25 was ratified within 15 minutes. ECan’s general rate, which applies to 227,000 homes and businesses in Canterbury, increased by an average 0.51 per cent.

Targeted rates, focusing on individual activities and specific communities, rose by an average of 7.38 per cent. Ratepayers will learn exactly what they will pay when the next demands are circulated in August or September.

Total expenditure increased by $1.6m from the draft budget due to a combination of public submissions, requests from advisory groups and budgetary revisions.

Existing reserves would offset some of that, meaning only minimal changes to the rate increases recommended in the draft plan.

ECan expects to collect $31.1m from a general rate. Targeted rates will contribute $58.2m. Grants and user pays payments made up the rest of the $155.6m ECan will raise – $331,000 less than forecast expenditure.

A range of new rates have been introduced in rural areas includ- ing a targeted rate for the Little River-Wairewa district that will provide $45,000 to pay for flood protection work.

Commissioner David Bedford said the Little River rate illustrated ECan’s growing emphasis on targeted rates – and the value of making submissions. Key rates changes include: A new rating area for the Waihao-Wainono flood and drainage works.

Passenger transport rates for Cheviot, Malvern and Pleasant Point.

Two new rates to improve the environmental water infrastructure in the Selwyn and Ashburton districts.

Enhancing air quality has seen a new targeted rate introduced in Christchurch, Timaru, Ashburton, Rangiora, Kaiapoi, Waimate and Geraldine.

The Canterbury Water Management Strategy increases 12.02 per cent, and the public transport targeted rate for Christchurch rises by 3.37 per cent.

Meanwhile, an independent panel to hear submissions made on the proposed Canterbury Regional Air Plan has been appointed. It will chaired by High Court judge Sir Graham Panckhurst.

The public hearing is expected to be scheduled for September or October.

Photo: IAN MscGREGOR, FAIRFAX NZ A construction worker is rescued from a Christchurch building site after suffering a medical emergency. The man was taken to Christchurch Hospital in a serious condition after being rescued from the construction site in Parklands by Fire Service workers. Fire Service senior station officer Mike Bowden said the aerial ladder platform was the safest way to get the man ‘‘dropped down nice and quietly and gently’’. ‘‘It is not its normal intended use, but it does get used occasionally for this sort of thing, lowering people from the second storey of a building. It is just much safer than lowering people by line from a building,’’ he said.