Rates affordability Debate
Community Wellbeing - Cost of Living
Option 3
Residents overwhelmingly support Option 3 due to the high cost of living, expressing that current economic pressures make it difficult to manage additional financial burdens such as rate increases. Many argue for prioritizing essential services and cutting non-essential spending, suggesting that the council should adopt more stringent budgeting akin to what ordinary citizens are compelled to do during tough economic times. There is a strong sentiment that the council should focus on reducing expenditures and avoid passing financial pressures onto the community, especially when many are already struggling with rising costs in other areas of life.
Table of comments:
| Point No | Comment |
|---|---|
| 35.1 | Council was given a way to keep our rates reasonable and for us to have the three waters taken care of to keep us all safe and to ensure a clear process to affordability. Our council let us down. However, Simeon Brown has stated that the three water management which is now council's responsibility will not increase rates. |
| 56.1 | Council is not unique in being affected by inflation and recession. You need to tackle this like the rest of us do, not pass the buck by increasing the rates.I urge zero rates increase.Cuts such as less lawnmowing should be understood also as contributing |
| 56.1 | Council is not unique in being affected by inflation and recession. You need to tackle this like the rest of us do, not pass the buck by increasing the rates.I urge zero rates increase.Cuts such as less lawnmowing should be understood also as contributing |
| 81.1 | The cost of living is far to high to be able to afford much at all. Contractors need to be held accountable for their budgets and increases! |
| 122.1 | The cost of everything has risen so much lately, the option 1 or 2 increases don't sound like a huge amount on their own but I'm already paying over $100/month MORE in insurances compared to last year and I just don't know where I'm expected to find the extra money required. I'm at the point now I often skip evening meals because it's too expensive. |
| 142.1 | Residents cannot afford higher rates |
| 155.1 | There is a recession - pension cannot service any rate rise. Surely one trims one's budget and dreams. |
| 156.1 | people are struggling so much now with high costs of food, petrol, insurance etc and many are at breaking point. Reduce your spending and only put funds into necessary things. |
| 158.1 | Make Cuts - Reduce spending on uneeded cycle ways/speed bumps - I respect some of this is central government but stop adding costs for things that arent needed |
| 326.1 | rates are unaffordable for the average household |
| 504.1 | Our rates have gotten out of control.....Im not happy to see that Nelson Council plans to spend 24 million of our rate payers money on the Mahitahi Bayview subdivision.... |
| 688.1 | Looking at our estimated rates online for the following year, which includes the $300. It would mean a 16.6% increase. Its almost becoming unaffordable. In the middle of the cost of living crises you are proposing the biggest increase. Just like we all having reduce our wants, the council should be doing the same. |
| 778.1 | Rates have already increased exponentially. The council has no business increasing them again, especially with the cost of living. |
| 828.1 | Option 3 is my preferred option, not necessarily cutting back work programs, as those that you quote but withdrawing some of the more "major" projects that cost in the millions which I will cover later in the appropriate section You have to cut down somewhere as there are a lot of us residents who may not necessarily be struggling but are finding it difficult to get by. (and what about the "Postponement of rates on Maori Freehold land) What is this all about ?? |
| 847.1 | rates are already high, and everything is expensive. Reducing service costs to keep rates down means I can pay bills, mortgage, feed my whānau, etc. |
| 939.1 | Council should focus on the needs and not the wants. Rate payers should pay for what they use - we should not have to pay for the repair of roads and damage to infrastructure caused by heavy trucks and forestry slash. Charge the commercial operators / industries causing the damage. Ratepayers are paying 3 times - once in additional rates, in additional taxes (being diverted from other areas), and again in insurance premiums. Encourage rather than discourage the community to keep their city clean. Allow people to participate by way of community work - the Council cannot do everything on their own. As an example, the trail around Banford Park has been cordoned off for well over a year. People are willing and able to repair it - let them! Just put up a sign advising people to be cautious. Its dragconian and arrogant to stop people from wanting to help make Nelson a better place. |
| 959.1 | Option 3 … which requires cutting the cloth to fit must be the one agreed to. |
| 1072.1 | the comercial ratepayers ar beg charged too much at 22.6% of the total rates take. The CBD rates at around 3 times the residential rate is far to high particularly as it was primarily set to pay for parking which is getting taken away over timeThere should be a reduction for those properties affected by the Market in Montgomery Square.THE FLOOD RECOVERY LEVEY SHOULD ONLY BE APPLIED TO THE RESIDENTIAL RATEPAYERS. NOT COMERCIAL. |
| 1072.1 | the comercial ratepayers ar beg charged too much at 22.6% of the total rates take. The CBD rates at around 3 times the residential rate is far to high particularly as it was primarily set to pay for parking which is getting taken away over timeThere should be a reduction for those properties affected by the Market in Montgomery Square.THE FLOOD RECOVERY LEVEY SHOULD ONLY BE APPLIED TO THE RESIDENTIAL RATEPAYERS. NOT COMERCIAL. |
| 1192.1 | People are at risk of having to leave their homes because of the unaffordability of rates. |
| 1257.1 | Everyone wants value for money. inflation is hitting hard, in hard times the focus must remain on core services versus the nice to haves on the peripheral of council responsibilities. That said granted Nelson/Tasman region is growing at a rapid rate of knots, with ageing infrastructure, more cost for infrastructure upgrades, roading, schools etc onto the developers not the rate payer to fix long after the developer exited and the problems arise . |
| 1259.1 | I feel that it is extremely unfair and unjustified to add the additional $300 per year for the next 10 years for storm recovery charges on us. The rates are already going up and so are the other expenses for us like insurance, mortgage, food prices, etc. whereas the salaries have not increased. Given the weather changes and chances of similar rain events in the future, would mean adding these recovery charges every time such an event happens which would be unfair. The funding for such weather events should come from the Central Government as is the norm in most other countries. On the other hand, the Council must cut wasteful expenditures like flower baskets in the city and spending over $100,000 per year on these. These are not essential at this stage and the Council must look at doing away with these expenses whilst there are much more important issues and expenses to deal with. Furthermore, the council should look at earning revenue from other sources like advertising, etc. to supplement the income |
| 1439.1 | Keep to core services. |
| 1471.1 | For those homeowners on a fixed income the current rates increases are unsustainable. Getting to the stage where selling up is the only option. Anything over the current inflation rate is out of the question. |