The finance and corporate committee will today consider recommendations by the annual plan hearing subcommittee, which proposes the general rate remain unchanged from the proposed decrease of 3.86%, even though estimated expenditure decreased by $306,000 because new contract prices for bus routes being less than expected.
The subcommittee of Crs Duncan Butcher, Michael Deaker, Doug Brown, David Shepherd and chairman Stephen Cairns considered 322 submissions - 144 on the draft annual plan, 17 on the proposed change to compliance monitoring and 234 on the Awatea St stadium proposal.
Hearings were held around the region last month, with 79 people speaking to their submissions.
Mr Cairns said issues such as the proposed amendment to the long-term council community plan to divide the Queenstown Lakes district river management area into two rating areas - Wakatipu and Wanaka - received no submissions.
"The stadium has eclipsed a number of other reasonable-sized projects which we might have got more feedback on," Mr Cairns said.
The subcommittee was recommending that amendment be adopted, as well as the Bulk Rural Water initiative, which received 12 supportive submissions, and the Clean Air, Clean Heat project.
It supported collecting half of monitoring compliance costs from consent holders and half the cost of undertaking dairy farm inspections.
The subcommittee also endorsed a 25% increase in bus fares.
Many of the other transport suggestions made in submissions, such as more bus shelters and increased accessibility, had already been incorporated in to the existing programme of improvements, the report said.
Mr Cairns said he was also pleased the subcommittee had been able to include other initiatives, such as working with Community Recyclers of Otago, by assisting projects within existing budgets.
The subcommittee recommended turning down requests for funding for the extension of the Ravensbourne cycleway/walkway and one between Warrington and WaitatiIf the committee supports the subcommittee's recommendations, they will go before the full council on June 25.
