So, the GDC is looking at a 24% rate hike on the back of a 21% last year.
They are now asking for submissions and suggestions on how to cut this.
They got plenty last year, but have chosen to sit on their hands and do absolutely nothing to action these suggestions.
They included cutting the size of parks, reserves, arts and heritage therefore cutting staff numbers.
Unless this is done, alongside the selling of excess council land and buildings, the future is bleak for Gore and Mataura urban ratepayers.
By 2034 borrowing will be at $124 million, your rates will be between eight and ten thousand dollars per household unit. The first $1000 you pay will be to pay interest alone, this is at best if you believe their figures, and if interest rates stay at 5%.
This debt will spiral even more out of control if hard decisions are not made now.
But this council is indicating it has the preferred "soft option" of borrowing more money.
So why would ratepayers waste time and effort making submissions when they didn’t act on last year’s ones?
I will be making my submission at the ballot box in October.
Gore District Council chief executive Debbie Lascelles replies:
In 2024 the Gore District Council decided to concentrate on producing a comprehensive annual plan, rather than a long-term plan. This was in response to the government’s allowance for local bodies to postpone their long-term plans due to uncertainty around three waters service delivery.
Producing an enhanced annual plan rather than a long-term plan meant the council could provide a realistic plan for the coming year, gather information from our community around what is important to them, as well as being more flexible around coming changes, essentially providing breathing space for the council to make better, informed decisions to bring to the community in the long-term plan.
In our annual plan documents we said deferring work or not funding depreciation would provide only temporary relief and that costs will likely end up on next year’s budgets or beyond.
Feedback from our annual plan consultation reflected the balancing act we face in keeping rates manageable while delivering the services and infrastructure our community expects and deserves
In order to lessen the rates impact on our community significant cuts to levels of services would be required. However, engagement with the community indicated that this was not desirable.
In the long-term plan, now out for consultation, we are asking our community to consider the options that we believe will best serve our district while keeping rates at manageable levels.
