The installation of water meters in Roxburgh will be delayed a year to help keep the ward rates increase to about 7.2%.
The Roxburgh Community Board met yesterday to consider its draft estimates and pruned a planned 13.3% rise to about 7.2%.
Central Otago District Council corporate services manager Susan Finlay suggested water-metering work and upgrading tobies could be deferred a year.
Sums of $58,358 for tobies and $67,737 for installing meters were originally in the budget.
Board chairman Stephen Jeffery said upgrading Roxburgh's water supply to meet Health Department drinking-water standards had been expensive.
"I guess you could say we rated that more highly than water meters."
The board was told meters had been installed on fewer than half of the residential properties using water in Roxburgh so far.
Cr John Lane said Roxburgh was bringing its drinking water up to standard and upgrading its wastewater system and "we've literally broken ourselves" in the process.
Engineering assessments on council-owned potentially earthquake-prone buildings in the Roxburgh ward will cost $9260, contributing 1.1% of the proposed rates increase.
The general rate of inflation in the coming year was 4% and insurance premiums had risen by 25% and electricity by 8%, Mrs Finlay said.
Cromwell ward rates will rise 10.5%, the Vincent board has agreed to a 6.9% increase and the Maniototo board is considering an 8.6% increase.
All those figures, including the Roxburgh ward increase, have to be finalised and there may be changes once the district component of the rates is added. The district rates component should be known next month.
The council's long-term plan, which includes the figures, will then be open for public submissions and the final figures will be confirmed by the full council in June.
