While public meetings on rates are usually dominated by the effects on residential properties, the fear of large increases for commercial properties in the Waitaki district was raised in Oamaru last night.
Waitaki Mayor Alex Familton outlined the Waitaki District Council's proposed 3.5% increase in the total rates take in 2013-14, from $27.21 million this year to $28.159 million.
The possibility of a large increase for some commercial properties - one example was 21.3% - was raised at the meeting mostly made up of residential property owners.
Council staff said the increase was because of new valuations, along with a shift in some rates towards the business sector. In past years, commercial rates had not increased to the same level as other sectors.
Home owner Bruce Comfort said residential ratepayers could be prepared to pay more to ease increases on business.
Other issues included the financial involvement of the council in the business park development in north Oamaru, the cost and necessity of upgrading water supplies to meet government standards, the effect of last year's revaluations on rates and the cost of the proposed earthquake prone buildings policy.
Submissions on the draft plan close on April 22 and will be heard by the council before it adopts the plan on June 25.
The Waitaki Concerned Citizens and Ratepayers organised the public meeting. Twenty-five people attended, including eight councillors and council staff.
