Hurunui rates rise trimmed to 10.98%
By David Hill, Local Democracy Reporter
Hurunui ratepayers are facing a slightly lower rates hike of 10.98 percent.
Hurunui District Council staff have taken a fine-tooth comb to the 2024-34 long-term plan budgets to find some savings, after earlier proposing a rates rise of 12.37%.
Councillors gave clear instructions to staff to find some savings during deliberations earlier this month.
Speaking at Tuesday’s council meeting, chief financial officer Jason Beck said savings had been found across several budgets.
The staff allocation for this year has been reduced from 155.41 to 150.05 full-time equivalents and the councillors’ mileage allowance has also had a trim.
The pain is expected to continue, as the the council is predicting a 14.49% rates hike for the 2025-26 financial year, Beck said.
But the rate rises from year 3 were expected to drop below 5%.
The council consulted on investment in roading, the development of the Queen Mary Historic Reserve in Hanmer Springs and rating for stormwater activities.
Provision has also been made to replenish the coastal bund at Amberley Beach.
A bund is a type of embankment which protects against the sea.
Amberley Beach ratepayers will be levied $303.56 a year, an increase from $258.83 a year, which was requested by the residents’ group.
Chief executive Hamish Dobbie said the council was also exploring purchasing land at a cost of $1 million as it plans for future proactive relocation as part of the Amberley Beach Coastal Adaptation Plan, which was adopted last year.
It would be debt funded and paid off by a targeted rate, once an agreement has been reached with residents.
The final 2024-34 long-term plan is due to be adopted at the next council meeting on June 25.
■ LDR is local body journalism co-funded by RNZ and NZ On Air.
Worst Xmas ever?
There's a a lot of planning that goes into Christmas day and sometimes things just don't go to plan. But it can be a good thing - a family mishap or hilarious memory that you can laugh about in Christmases to come.
Whether you burnt the dinner or were stranded at an airport...
Share your Christmas mishaps below!
⚠️ DOGS DIE IN HOT CARS. If you love them, don't leave them. ⚠️
It's a message we share time and time again, and this year, we're calling on you to help us spread that message further.
Did you know that calls to SPCA about dogs left inside hot cars made up a whopping 11% of all welfare calls last summer? This is a completely preventable issue, and one which is causing hundreds of dogs (often loved pets) to suffer.
Here are some quick facts to share with the dog owners in your life:
👉 The temperature inside a car can heat to over 50°C in less than 15 minutes.
👉 Parking in the shade and cracking windows does little to help on a warm day. Dogs rely on panting to keep cool, which they can't do in a hot car.
👉 This puts dogs at a high risk of heatstroke - a serious condition for dogs, with a mortality rate between 39%-50%.
👉 It is an offence under the Animal Welfare Act to leave a dog in a hot vehicle if they are showing signs of heat stress. You can be fined, and prosecuted.
SPCA has created downloadable resources to help you spread the message even further. Posters, a flyer, and a social media tile can be downloaded from our website here: www.spca.nz...
We encourage you to use these - and ask your local businesses to display the posters if they can. Flyers can be kept in your car and handed out as needed.
This is a community problem, and one we cannot solve alone. Help us to prevent more tragedies this summer by sharing this post.
On behalf of the animals - thank you ❤️
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