Gore council to mull fee rises as it grapples with 21.4% rates hike

Tuesday, 11 June 2024

A report says the Gore District Council’s insurance costs have increased by 25% while chemical costs have risen by 30% and depreciation expenditure by 29%.

It may cost more to register a dog, go for a swim or get consent to build a house in the Gore District after councillors consider increasing a range of fees and charges.

Councillors will meet on Wednesday to discuss submissions made to the council’s Annual Plan for 2024-25, and they will also consider increasing some fees and charges as the council grapples with a proposed 21.4% rates hike.

The raft of proposed fees and charges hikes would go some way to covering the council’s increasing costs.

A report included in the agenda said the council’s insurance costs have increased by 25% while chemical costs have risen by 30% and depreciation expenditure by 29%.

Of the submissions received to the proposed plan, 19 submitters appeared before the council hearing last month to speak to their written submissions, with most suggesting ways the council could cut back on costs to reduce the rates increase.

Several submitters have suggested cutting back on how often plants are replaced in the gardens in Gore’s main street.

The submissions have been analysed in a report to be tabled at Wednesday’s meeting.

Several submitters suggested reducing the frequency with which plants in the town’s bedding plots were replaced.

Staff comment in the report said the Gore District was known for its annual bedding displays, and the cost saving from shifting to perennials would not be as much as people perceived. However, it did not say how much the saving could be.

The report also said council staff have applied to the P H Vickery Trust for funding to enable its Ready for Living programme to continue. The programme, which shapes the Gore environment to support older people and “active ageing”, was due to be cut to save costs.

The outcome of the funding application is expected in mid-June.

A review of the council’s land and buildings is planned as part of the Long-term Plan process, with the objective being to identify potential assets to sell.

In July last year, the council discussed selling land that had been used as a golf-driving range, and in December agreed in principle to sell it.

The land has been marketed and the council is currently talking to two potential buyers.

The council will also consider the levels of service it provides and review its grants activity as part of the Long-term Plan process, the report said.

The meeting will be the first for new council chief executive Debbie Lascelles, who said last week that Gore, like all councils around the country, had “some financial sustainability issues”.

*This story has been amended from an earlier version which said land the council was considering selling had not been marketed. Updated: June 11, 11.29am.