May 15, 2023
Storm cost puts rate increase on table
Auckland councillor Kerrin Leoni says Aucklanders may need to accept rates will rise by as much as 13 percent because of this year’s extreme weather events and other financial pressures.
The council has increased the estimate of its operating shortfall to $325 million, as well as storm-related costs of $50 million,
Ms Leoni says options placed before council include borrowing up to $75 million, but she doesn’t want to burden Auckland with future debt.
There’s also the sale of the council’s stake in Auckland International Airport and an increase in rates.
“So it could be between $5 and $10 a week difference in your rates, that you’d be paying a year – which is, you know when you look at all the services we really need to save, I think that’s a pretty good compromise,” she says.
Ms Leoni, the first Maori woman elected to the council, says she’s proud of how Maori and Pasifika communities rallied to support their people through the tough times.