The 2018-28 Long Term Plan Financial Forecasts report adopted by the Whakatāne District Council last week indicates a wide spread in possible rates impacts for the 2018/19 year.

The financial forecasts capture the outcomes of the decisions included in the Council’s draft financial strategy and draft revenue and financing policy, which were also adopted for community consultation last week. The various decisions involved will be set out in a consultation document and distributed to all District residents in March next year, so that the community’s views can be received and considered before the final Long Term Plan 2018-28 is adopted in June.

A key decision is the inclusion of Murupara’s water and wastewater schemes with the ‘equalised’ schemes that apply elsewhere in the District. Equalisation means that all properties connected to a water or wastewater scheme pay the same cost for the same level of service, and all properties share the cost of any infrastructure upgrades required to maintain the service or meet new resource consent conditions. In the short term, inclusion in the equalised schemes would result in significant cost increases (more than $400) for Murupara ratepayers connected to water and wastewater services, but would ensure that the cost of future upgrades in technology are affordable, because they would be shared by other connected communities.

Indicative rates cost changes vary from area to area, based on the effects of planned activities and on the share of costs calculated according to a property’s capital value (CV). Indicative rates examples for various communities or sectors, based on the draft financial forecasts, are:

• Murupara Urban (capital value $61,000) – 25.14% increase ($449.62)
• Whakatāne Urban Low (CV $155,000) – 3.71% increase ($94.33)
• Whakatāne Urban Average (CV $355,000) – 3.17% increase ($99.05)
• Whakatāne Urban High (CV $1.1M) – 2.2% increase ($116.60)
• Whakatāne Commercial Low (CV $370,000) – 2.96% increase ($121.89)
• Whakatāne Commercial Average (CV $730,000) – 1.82% increase ($106.20)
• Edgecumbe Average (CV $295,000) – 5.8% increase ($168.20)
• Matatā Average (CV $293,000) – 9.19% increase ($225.66)
• Matatā High (CV $640,000) – 11.31% increase ($381.17)
• Murupara Lifestyle (CV $205,000) – 0.13% increase ($2.06)
• Te Teko (CV $111,000) – 0.14% decrease ($2.20)
• Ōtarawairere (CV $820,000) – 3.53% increase ($150.10)
• Ōhope Low (CV $510,000) – 3.79% increase ($129.98)
• Ōhope Average (CV $640,000) – 3.67% increase ($138.44)
• Ōhope High (CV $1.22M) – 3.31% increase ($176.09)
• Tāneatua (CV $134,000) – 4.80% increase ($113.69)
• Rural Low (CV $58,500) – 0.53% decrease (-$7.15)
• Rural Average (CV $965,000) – 2.14% increase ($72.62)
• Rural High (CV $3.19M) – 3.19 % increase ($268.47)