Rates Increase
A Ratepayers Perspective on Rates Rises
All the rhetoric, statements and documents portray that the proposed 15.5% (or 2x 9.5%) rates rise in the budget of the 10 Year Plan is needed to stem the bleeding of borrowing $10 million per year to fund the shortfall in the day to day running of the city. However that has not been communicated well, most people and all of the candidates' bar one in the recent by-election believed that the proposed rates rise is to fund growth, particularly Peacockes.
Current Rate take $153.747 million + 9.5% rate Rise = $168.353 million ($14.6 million rise)
New Rate take $168.353 million + 9.5% rate rise = $184.346 million (another $15.994 million) without the property valuation, effectively the figure will be more (a lot more).
At a bare minimum, the 2 x 9.5% rates rise council will gain a nett increase of $30.599 million over 2 years. That exceeds any of the figures over the numbers of years that the borrowing occurred.
The 10 Year Plan must have been written by extra-terrestrials for the dyslectic it is confusing particularly because it is contradictory rather than complimentary.
The issue is the projected $30.599 million gain in revenue vs the $4 million pa shortfall in the day to day running of the city, particularly in view that Hamiltonโs economy only grew by 2.8% for the year considerably below the any of the proposed rates increases.
The attached tables clearly indicate that it appears illogical to increase rates by 107.98% when the revenue base only increases by 27.45%.
Ratepayer Growth (Increase) over 10 Year Plan 16, 056 $27.45%
Rates Increase over 10 Year Plan $165.283 million 107.98%
A Ratepayers Perspective on Rates Rises (Table).docx Download View
Poll: If we want to reduce speeding, what do you think actually changes driver behaviour? ๐ป๐จ๐
In the Post's article on speeding penalties, the question is asked whether speeding fines are truly about road safety, or are they just a way to boost revenue for the Crown?
What do you think? Should speeding motorists receive speeding fines or demerit points?
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36.5% The sting of a fine (Money talks!)
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63.5% The threat of demerit points (Nobody wants to lose their license!)
๐ Riddle me this, legends! ๐
He/She who makes it, sells it.
He/She who buys it, doesn't use it.
The user doesn't know they are using it.
What is it?
(Shezz from Ngฤruawฤhia kindly provided this head-scratcher ... thanks, Shezz!)
Do you think you know the answer? Simply 'Like' this post if you know the answer and the big reveal will be posted in the comments at 2pm on the day!
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Some Choice News!
DOC is rolling out a new tool to help figure out what to tackle first when it comes to protecting our threatened species and the things putting them at risk.
Why does this matter? As Nikki Macdonald from The Post points out, weโre a country with around 4,400 threatened species. With limited time and funding, conservation has always meant making tough calls about what gets attention first.
For the first time, DOC has put real numbers around what it would take to do everything needed to properly safeguard our unique natural environment. The new BioInvest tool shows the scale of the challenge: 310,177 actions across 28,007 sites.
Now that we can see the full picture, it brings the big question into focus: how much do we, as Kiwis, truly value protecting nature โ and what are we prepared to invest to make it happen?
We hope this brings a smile!
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