The Tauranga City Commissioners describe Tauranga City Council’s 2024-34 Long-term Plan, adopted on Monday, as the culmination of their work ahead of their imminent departure.
The plan outlines council’s direction and establishes the investment in priority projects and infrastructure it will deliver for the community over the next decade to address the city’s most pressing issues.
Key priorities remain unchanged and include investing in revitalising the city centre, upgrading the transport network, community spaces, existing urban areas to deliver additional housing, growth in Tauriko West, as well as the city’s future resilience.
Tauranga City Council Commission Chair Anne Tolley says it's a big milestone to have reached this stage with the plan now audited and approved.
“When we arrived in Tauranga, we found this enormous lack of investment in basic maintenance, roading and community facilities. The city looked neglected, like nobody cared about it and it had been overwhelmed by massive population growth over a short period.
“The community has since told us time and time again what this city needs. This Long-term Plan continues the direction previously set and outlines the $4.9b capital programme.
“We believe we’ve set the city up in the right direction and it is our hope the democratically elected council will build on this plan with the right decisions and investment.”
The Commission also acknowledged its direction to put a fairer rating structure in place.
To help reduce the burden on general rate payers, and to make sure all rate payers are paying their fair share, the Commission put in place a new industrial rating category that will see industrial properties pay a larger share than in the past.
This means residential property rates are around three per cent lower than if the category had not been created.
As a result, median priced residential properties rates will increase seven per cent.
This increase has been calculated using the new 2023 capital valuations and includes the Transport System Plan Infrastructure Funding and Finance levy.
The levy replaces the targeted rate Council was charging to partly fund its transport projects. The median residential property IFF levy will be $72 and median commercial/industrial property IFF levy will be $607, from July 1, 2024.
“The Minister for Local Government asked us to create this plan before completing our term and I'm excited to see Tauranga become the best city in New Zealand to live, work, play and learn.”
|
|
Capital Value 2023 |
Increase % |
Increase $/pw |
TSP IFF Levy Increase % |
TSP IFF Levy Increase $/pw |
|
Residential |
|
|
|
|
|
|
Low Residential (1%) |
$360,000 |
8.1% |
$3.12 |
1.5% |
$0.56 |
|
Lower Quartile (25%) |
$715,000 |
5.7% |
$3.14 |
2.0% |
$1.11 |
|
Median (50%) |
$885,000 |
4.8% |
$3.01 |
2.2% |
$1.38 |
|
Upper Quartile (75%) |
$1,120,000 |
5.6% |
$4.04 |
2.4% |
$1.74 |
|
High residential (99%) |
$3,910,000 |
12.0% |
$21.90 |
3.3% |
$6.09 |
The 2024/2025 rates are calculated using the new valuations following certification of the 2023 Revaluation.
The final LTP will be available on council’s website shortly.
9 comments
Come on
Posted on 23-04-2024 09:13 | By an_alias
"Lack of investment in local infrastructure", what have you done for local infrastructure
should be the first question ?
Is a museum, hotel, art cafe, new pool complex, the list goes on....are they basic infrastructure.
The only thing you have achieve is tax increases without end, period and probably the end.
Hmmm
Posted on 23-04-2024 09:57 | By Let's get real
Where is the investment in good roading design...? Does reducing the even flow of traffic and adding cycle paths meet the requirements...?
We still have major issues when a single incident (such as an accident on any of the bridges or main roads) causes the whole city to close down. The Turret Road bridge has been "talked" about for decades, but reducing traffic flow in other areas has been of a higher priority.
How is public transport an advantage with only four active bus lanes in the whole city, but cycle lanes everywhere.
PLANNING FOR THE FUTURE... What a load of crap.
OMG, what does she think she is?
Posted on 23-04-2024 13:22 | By nerak
“When we arrived in Tauranga, we found this blah blah blah.. The city looked neglected, etc."
What does it look like now? A ghost town. Is she trying to say she/they have made it better? Does she think she and her lot are the Messiah?? They are a joke, only nobody is laughing. Last article all about her, she said they had stuffed up, no apology. Tolls, you're one of a kind, the kind Tauranga will be relieved to see the expensive backside of, along with your mates and all TCC staff, many of whom are paid far too much to dream - the entitled.
How about you share some of your ratepayer dosh with ratepayers to help them pay the rates for a few years, especially one of your cohorts who never engaged with anyone at the waste of time/money hearings.
Ego edifices
Posted on 23-04-2024 13:47 | By CliftonGuy
The commissioners have focussed on creating edifices to their puffery. The fancy Civic Centre which will be empty because there is no means of getting there. The Domain Sports Stadium, which cannot provide parking for the expected 8,000 spectators. The crazy work Cameron Road, which, whilst it may have been needed, was done in such a way to drive retailers along the road to the wall. The list goes on.
BUT, the tsunami siren warning system which is meant to save lives was canned. The Links Road fiasco. The lack of REAL improvement to our roads is totally lacking.
Hopefully, somebody will enact a Trespass order to ensure the commissioners do not darken this city again.
Do the math
Posted on 23-04-2024 14:12 | By Otumoetai Resident
$5 billion in capex approved on mostly "nice to have" projects like museums and council buildings when the "need to have ones" are neglected. Thats on average $100k cost to be imposed on every 3 person household in Tauranga. Who has a spare $100k to pay for these commissioners pipe dreams? They will be long gone with full bank accounts and wont be paying 1c towards it. Let the elected council come in and "can their plan". Good riddance to the not so fab 4
Garbage.
Posted on 23-04-2024 21:34 | By Yadick
Investment in Tauranga’s future confirmed.
Garbage, absolute garbage. The only investment confirmed is to the Commorons pockets and for the investors it's been one of the most deceitful and appalling investments ever.
Unwanted Museum
Posted on 24-04-2024 10:43 | By HB
Lately many museum’s around the country have said they are struggling to keep the doors open. Why build another one to add to that list ? Especially since the majority don’t want it. And to add to that, why build an expensive park for rugby, that sport is slowly dying also.
You can see why this town has become so expensive to live in. We need people at the top who know what they are doing and care about the people that live here.
Tauranga has direction!
Posted on 24-04-2024 15:20 | By Humma
Having moved here 10 years ago, the council and their supporters had run Tauranga into the ground. The commissioners have done a fantastic job with the ground-work. Having moved from Auckland, and travelled the world, the city and city Penisula needed investment and a purpose, like any good modern city drawcard. There is no wider Tauranga, if the city does not have a future plan. Remember: The Mount, Papamoa and other areas are Tauranga, and Tauranga is the city. I am happy to pay for the city progress, if you are not then maybe its not right for you. Tauranga is a very different city to pre-covid, in population and vision.
Expectations
Posted on 27-04-2024 10:22 | By Kancho
Its going to be very tough but I look to the new council to use a blow torch on the funding of
the nice to haves and focus on the essential services first. We have high debt and the highest rates in the country so I expect some austerity to apply. I expect the councillors to look at staff numbers and the six plus departments with six managers and 763 plus staff and the extra 15 million for salaries allocated for this year. There has been a bureaucratic blowout in recent years and particularly with the commissioners. Clearly there are savings to be made I think this style of management is called silo management where they all operate independently. I will be happier to pay rates if I see much more prudent management of Tauranga.
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