Stuff Digital Edition

Rates costs

A few years ago the Christchurch City Council stated the operational costs for the then new central library, Tū ranga, would be about $7 million per year.

This figure included the cost of borrowing, heating and electricity costs, depreciation, and staff costs. No doubt this has increased due to inflation. To reduce these costs, opening hours could be reduced.

The loss of the Lancaster Park stadium due to earthquakes did not reduce the ‘rates take’ due to the other financial pressures of those times, and the operational costs of the new stadium, when completed, will have to be added on top of rates.

With a new facility at Hornby being built, millions of dollars to be spent on the river corridor project, and all the existing libraries and swimming pools, operational spend is increasing markedly.

In future, there will be little money available to improve the core infrastructure – roads and pipes.

S M McNeill, St Albans

Opinion

en-nz

2022-12-03T08:00:00.0000000Z

2022-12-03T08:00:00.0000000Z

https://fairfaxmedia.pressreader.com/article/281767043247981

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