Yesterday's decision to approve the rates, fees and charges was a formality to meet the deadline before this financial year finishes on June 30.
The increase is in the total rates collected, but the effect on individual properties will vary depending on what sort of rates are paid and property values.
Waitaki Mayor Gary Kircher did not think anyone on the council was happy with an increase, but believed the community was getting good value for the money.
The biggest single increase was the decision to invest an extra $635,000 in improving the rural roading network.
Of that, $402,900 would come from rates and the rest from depreciation.
Under the Rural Resilience Waitaki Project, the money is aimed at strengthening roads to reduce maintenance costs and damage during major emergencies, such as flooding.
That investment was strongly supported by rural ratepayers in submissions after frequent complaints about a decline in standards of their roads.
Other projects the council was funding were to help groups and ratepayers with what they wanted to see in the community.
An adjustment was made yesterday to the budget to provide for up to a $5 million investment in the proposed Oamaru retirement village on Hospital Hill, providing its council-owned company, Waitaki District Health Services, decided to go ahead with the project and a peer review by the council.
That had no impact on the rates. The money will come from reserves, as a loan to the company to be paid back with interest. In this year's financial year, the council is collecting $28.27 million in rates. The draft annual plan which went out for public comment proposed to collect $29.016 million, a 2.6% rise.
Yesterday's final decision means the council will collect $29.106 million.
