Porirua City Council is reviewing its Rating Policy as part of its three-yearly review of the Long-term Plan (LTP), which sets the budget for the city for the next 30 years.
In reviewing the Rating Policy, Council needs to consider every ratepayer. There will be different groups and individual ratepayers that will see changes to their share of the rates.
Consultation is now open on the Rating Policy, with community feedback sought on proposed changes aimed to provide the best outcome for the city as a whole, while balancing the impact on each ratepayer.
The statement of proposal is available on our website, at libraries and the Council front counter, and public meetings will be held with rural, commercial and residential ratepayers to discuss the proposed changes.
Te Puna Kōrero (Council's committee) chairperson Councillor Ross Leggett says Council’s preferred option involves bringing forward already agreed changes to rating differentials for rural and commercial ratepayers and locking this in for the first three years of the Long-term Plan.
“It was agreed in the 2018 LTP process to change the differentials to make things fairer, and after consultation it was decided that this would be phased in over six years,” he says.
“Three years into that process it’s become clear that this timeframe has left an imbalance between the categories, so the proposal is to accelerate it and get to our agreed outcome sooner.”
Mayor Anita Baker says Quotable Value’s property revaluations in 2016 and 2019 saw significant increases in residential property values in Porirua, which has impacted on each sector’s share of rates, with residential ratepayers seeing the biggest increases.
“Things have moved on since the six-year timeframe was set and this proposal is designed to reflect that. Every year we take to get the already agreed objectives, is a year that residential ratepayers carry an extra burden of rates for the services all our residents enjoy.”
For the commercial sector, the proposed change is designed to provide a more level playing field across all businesses.
“The 2019 property revaluation saw commercial values increase less than residential properties so their portion of the rate share has decreased.”
The Rating Policy is being consulted on alongside two other financial policies – the Revenue and Finance Policy and the Rates Remission and Postponement Policy. Details of all these can be found at poriruacity.govt.nz/consultations, and all policies will be discussed at the public meetings.
Dates and venues for the planned public meetings are being confirmed and details will be made available on our website and Facebook page as soon as possible.
For the statement of proposal and information on how to make a submission visit www.poriruacity.govt.nz/consultation or phone (04) 237 5089.Submissions close on 1 November 2020.
There are three public meetings to talk to Council officers about the policy:
Residential – 19 October, 6pm, Te Rauparaha Arena meeting room upstairs
Rural – 20 October, 6pm, Judgeford Golf Club
Commercial – 21 October, 7.30am, Porirua Club
2 Oct 2020
