Bay of Plenty Regional Council is pursuing plans to increase staff salaries by 7.9 per cent despite forecasting an operating deficit of $11.2m.
The regional council also seeks to increase general rates by 5.8 per cent, translating to about $21 extra for an average property.
In a report presented to the council during Annual Plan deliberations on May 18, council staff recommended the increases as a result of guidance and direction from Draft Annual Plan workshops.
Whether these go ahead will be decided on as part of the adoption of the Annual Plan 2022/23 today.
Changes from the council's second year of the 2021-2031 Long-Term Plan to the draft Annual Plan for 2022/23 include an increase in employee expenses from $47.4m to $52.3m, including a 7.9 per cent rise in staff inflation.