List pushes rates up 8.8pc

The 8.84 percent equates to an extra $96 a year for the average residential property owner currently paying $1086.

However, Mayor Paul Matheson said he was confident this increase would be reduced as a result of public submissions, despite councillors making little headway cutting the figure during discussions on spending over the past week.

"I think at the end of the day they really needed a bit more time to have a good look at some of those capital works, and I think they're going to do that after submissions."

Spending planned for the 2005-2006 year includes: $256,000 investigating upgrading the Trafalgar Centre; $1 million on the Saxton Field development; $85,000 grant to the Theatre Royal; $150,000 towards investigating a performing arts centre; $8.27 million on sewerage (mainly made up of $6.8 million on the Nelson North waste water plant); $2.34 million on water supply projects, including a new reservoir for Stoke; $2.78 million on stormwater and flood protection; and $6.69 million on roading and transport.

Mr Matheson suggested upgrading the Trafalgar Centre could be delayed to reduce the rate rise.

"As far as the performing arts centre is concerned, we should get going on that simply because there's some start-up costings and site evaluation to be done and I don't think we should delay it any more."

However, a 7 percent rate rise was already set because it related to work done last year - such as the Bell Island sewage plant upgrade. In essence that meant only the remaining 1 to 2 percent could be reduced, Mr Matheson said.

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