From January to March 2015, we consulted Aucklanders on the 10-year budget (2015-2025). Your feedback helped shape the decisions outlined below.
Investing in transport
In response to your feedback on the 10-year budget, Auckland Council has decided to act immediately on the region’s transport problems, implementing an Accelerated Transport Programme (ATP) that will see new investments of about $170 million per year over the next three years. This will allow work to start on the urgent improvements required to get Auckland moving.
To pay for the Accelerated Transport Programme, there will be a three-year Interim Transport Levy of $99 ($114 including GST) a year for non-business ratepayers and $159 ($183 including GST) for business ratepayers while the council seeks government support for alternative funding to deliver the Auckland Plan Transport Network.
Rates
There will be an average general rates increase of 2.5 per cent for 2015/2016, 3.2 per cent in 2016/2017 and 3.5 per cent for each of the remaining years of the budget to pay for the hundreds of essential day-to-day services that the council provides.
More budget highlights
Other decisions in the 10-year budget include:
- Keeping the Uniform Annual General Charge at $385
- Reducing business rates at a slower rate than originally proposed, limiting the impact of the business differential strategy on residential ratepayers to an additional 0.5 per cent a year until 2036/2037
- The introduction of an annual on-property booked inorganic service
Auckland Council adopted the final budget in late June 2015.
It is available both on the Auckland Council website and in hard copy at libraries, service centres and local board offices.
