The consultation document with the theme "Mapping Our Future" outlines the council’s priorities and presents options for how it navigates the challenges to be faced in the next nine years.
Mayor Craig Rowley said there could not be any conversation about the future without acknowledging the present. Sustained inflationary pressures on councils across the country had led to unavoidable rates increases.
Incessant legislative changes and increasing costs of maintaining infrastructure represented mounting financial strain on the district.
"Our goal is to effectively manage these costs while ensuring our infrastructure and service delivery remains uncompromised," Mr Rowley said.
The council is proposing an overall rates increase of 9.2% for 2025-26, 5.2% for 2026-27, 6.8% for 2027-28, and an average increase of 2.8% per annum for the remaining six years.
He said this was an average increase. Individual rates increase would vary depending on the services provided to individual properties and their value.
Mr Rowley said this approach would help the council tackle its challenges head-on while avoiding the cost of servicing debt if it was to delay any rates increases.
People can make a submission by going to waimatedc.govt.nz/ltp. Community chat sessions are also being held.
— APL
