Cheaper properties hit in Waitakere

Waitakere City home owners' rates will rise on average by $64 for 2006-07 as the city council yesterday decided it must spend more on transport and parks to keep up with the city's growth.

Council annual plan chairwoman Janet Clews said the council held the average rates rise to 6.8 per cent.

But its approval of new and higher fixed charges would result in more rates being paid by lower valued properties and decreases for those worth more.

Mrs Clews said 78 per cent of the rates would go on basics such as roads, parks, wastewater and community facilities such as libraries.

The council approved spending about $150 million over 10 years on easing traffic congestion in parts of the main roads and making public transport more attractive to car users.

Ratepayers had to complement the Government's work to double-track the west Auckland railway line with such works as creating park and ride stations.

The council dropped a hotly contested proposal to recover more wastewater costs from schools by introducing a "pan tax" - a levy on the number of toilets each school uses.

One school said its wastewater bill would rise from $1129 to $24,344 on the pan charge formula.

"We heard loud and clear that the schools could not absorb these costs," said Mrs Clews.

"We believe the Ministry of Education should pay for the operation of schools and they should not be subsidised by ratepayers."

For wastewater, the council has introduced a uniform annual charge of $350 a household and increased the present annual uniform charge a household component of the general rate from $540 to $600.

Promoters of the waste water uniform fee said it would be fairer than a charge based on land value.

On Herald Island, for example, waste water costs per household would rise to $800 which was excessive for the small amount of water they used.

On top of the rates rise is 1.36 per cent levy for the War Memorial Museum and Museum of Transport and Technology.

The impact of the new rates means that a home with a land value of $100,000 will rise from $1197 to $1371; land value $150,000 from $1517 to $1581; land value $300,000, decrease from $2237 to $2055 and land value $410,000 will decrease from $2716 to $2370.

On Thursday the Rodney District Council approved an average rates increase of 8.5 per cent for properties not connected to water and wastewater services, and a 10.2 per cent average over the district. Projects on the Hibiscus Coast such as widening of Whangaparaoa Rd and the sewerage network were major expenses.