Homeowners and developers face fee increases for resource consents, as well as a host of other price hikes, if Dunedin city councillors accept a list of new charges in the pre-draft community plan.
The proposals would see the cost of many resource and building consents rising in 2009-10, while restaurateurs and camping ground owners alike would have to pay higher health licensing fees.
Increases in building consent fees would generate an additional $394,000 for the council, to offset rising costs and a decline in the overall number of consent applications, blamed in part on the economic climate, DCC chief executive Jim Harland said in his report.
Consent fees for work valued at less than $20,000 remained unchanged, but the fee for work above $20,000 would increase.
For example, a project valued between $20,001 and $50,000 would incur a fee of $1808 from February 1, and $2224 from July 1, up from $1690.
The fee for work in the $100,001-$200,000 category would increase from $3963 to $4240 on February 1, and to $5216 on July 1, while work in the $900,001-$1 million category would increase from $10,875 to $11,636 on February 1, and to $14,313 on July 1.
Other examples of charges set to rise included requests for plans by tradesmen and designers, up by $2 from $16 to $18, and the building consent general charge, up from $95 to $102.
Similarly, a proposed 65% increase in resource consent fees was suggested to offset an expected 20% decline in the number of resource consent applications, Mr Harland said.
The council had committed to a new even split in the funding policy for resource consents - of 50% rates and 50% fees and charges - during the 2008-09 Annual Plan process, and the increase was needed to achieve this, he said.
The increases included non-notified land use consents - for example, a category D retaining wall would increase from $945 to $1500 - while the fee for extension of time for land use consents would rise, from $367 to $400.
Non-notified subdivision consents would also rise - for example, adjusting the boundary of an existing allotment,up from $1000 to $1820 - as would many fees for limited notification subdivision consents.
A range of health licence fees would also increase, by 35%, raising an extra $120,500 in revenue, Mr Harland said.
The increases included the fee for opening a food premises, from $217 to $293, and their grades.
The annual licence fee for camping grounds would also increase, from $315 to $425, as would the licensed premises transfer fee, from $77 to $104.
