Waitaki district ratepayers may face a rates rise higher than the 3.8% set in December when the Waitaki District Council made the first draft of its budget for the coming financial year.
After three days of debate in December, including telling staff to go away and cut operational budgets, the council managed to slash a proposed rates increase of almost 15% to under 4%. That was achieved by rejecting some projects and reducing operational budgets.
Today, councillors sit down to finalise the draft budget for 2009-10, which will go out to ratepayers for submissions.
In December, councillors were urged to make the most of the three days' scrutiny of the budget so not many changes would have to be made today.
However, staff have compiled a number of reports for today's meeting questioning some of the cuts councillors made in December, and recommending more money be spent.
That includes the money set aside for training and travel, cutting the community development officer position, reducing hours at the Oamaru Public Library, reducing the cost of grass cutting and litter collection and other changes.
The council is also being asked to revisit funding for the Waitaki Development Board, redevelopment of the North Otago Museum, reducing funding of depreciation and smaller items such as camping ground fees and the Itchen St public toilets.
In December, some councillors expressed the view that a rates rise of between 6% to 7% would be acceptable before agreeing to the 3.8% rise that resulted from budget cuts.
