The Ashburton District Council's draft annual plan proposing a 9.4 percent rate increase has received a paltry 58 submissions with five days before consultation closes.
Ashburton Photo: LDR / Ashburton District Council
The community appears to be content with a proposed 9.4 percent average rates hike with under one percent submitting on the draft annual plan.
The Ashburton District Council is proposing its highest rates increase in over a decade, but as of Monday there have only been 58 public submissions on the plan.
In a district with around 15,588 rateable units, the current numbers equate to an 0.37 per cent submission rate, or just 0.16 percent of the entire district's population of some 35,000.
The numbers will likely increase in the coming days with consultation closing on Friday.
The council doesn't always publicly consult on its annual plans, as they often closely align with the long-term plan (LTP), which received 430 submissions last year.
The last annual plan the council publicly consulted on was back in 2016/17, which carried a 3.3 percent rise, received 58 submissions.
A council spokesman said that it's not unusual for the LTP's to receive a greater number of submissions as they usually contain the major funding decisions that generate a large amount of public interest.
"However, we are very keen to hear from as many of our residents as possible on this annual plan."
The council has been proactive in discussing the proposals, holding four public meetings, one virtually and then in person in Ashburton, Methven, and Rakaia.
Mayor Neil Brown said that while the attendance was low, the quality of questions and discussion was good.
Once consultation closes at the end of next week, the council will hold hearings to discuss the submissions on May 24-25.
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