After two days of deliberations this week, councillors added little to the spending proposed during public consultation on the Otago Regional Council 2024-34 long-term plan.
In year one of the 10-year plan the rates rise will be 16.6%; in year two, 13.3%; and in year three 8.8%.
The rates increase the council consulted on was 18.6%, but before deliberations began staff undertook a spending review and pared the increase to 16.4%.
Councillors opted to offer $2 million a year to groups doing large-scale environmental projects in the region — a response to the end of central government’s Jobs for Nature programme.
Then, on the second day of deliberations, the council added $50,000 to the second year of the plan to provide co-funding, along with the Dunedin City Council, to Dunedin Tracks and Trails, to complete design and consenting work for early stages of the Coastal Communities Cycle Connection and the Taieri Trail.
A proposed Balclutha to Dunedin, including Dunedin Airport, public transport trial was confirmed.
Minor changes to the Palmerston-Dunedin weekend services timetables were approved.
An Upper Clutha public transport business case was included in the plan instead of the proposed trial.
And a decision was made to investigate the feasibility of an Oamaru to Dunedin bus service.
Cr Elliot Weir lost a bid to increase Dunedin’s Sunday and public holiday bus services to Saturday levels.
Cr Tim Mepham did not find support to put $66,000 towards a scoping study for passenger rail between Christchurch and Invercargill, including a proposed commuter service between Mosgiel and Dunedin and Port Chalmers.
Cr Gary Kelliher lost a bid to cap the number of staff at the council at 325 full-time equivalent positions, with the reduction to be achieved through attrition.
Finance committee co-chairman Cr Kevin Malcolm chaired the deliberations meetings this week.
"We need to be very sure within our minds that we are going to deliver the outcomes that our community is seeking," he said.
"We need to be very, very sure that we will deliver.
"But we also need as a governance group that we are very, very sure that we support our staff to make sure that they can deliver."
Chief executive Richard Saunders said the average rates increase over the life of the 10-year plan was 6.5%.
This week’s finance committee decisions need to be ratified at a full council meeting next month.
