Works, traffic want 15.5 p.c. rate rise

Press, 9 May 1985, Page 5

Works, traffic want 15.5 p.c. rate rise

A $33.3 million budget that would require a 15.5 per cent rate increase over last year’s estimated spending was proposed for the Christchurch City Council’s works and traffic department yesterday. The general rate would rise 16.1 per cent, with a 14 per cent water-rate increase.

Councillors at the works and traffic committee meeting made no changes to departmental spending proposals. Cr David Close tried to add $lOO,OOO to the refuse budget to pay for a renewed suburban skip recycling scheme, but the move was defeated.

Under the proposed budget, the council would pay $1.85 million for loan servicing this financial year. The works and traffic de-

partment underspent by $1.54 million last year. A cement shortage because of industrial action affected two street reconstruction projects. The Municipal Electricity Department was late in presenting a street lighting account of more than $150,000, so that bill will have to be paid this year, in addition to the regular bill.

Some contracts were late getting started, and there was less street maintenance than expected because little rain fell to cause problems. A bitumen shortage affected the resealing of streets. The lack of autumn storms meant that less leaf and channel cleaning had to be done.

About $300,000 of the unspent money was in loans.

Most of that can be carried forward and used this year. The council would improve kerbs and channels in 40 streets under the proposed budget, and complete Bkm of street reconstruction. Shoulder .formation and sealing would be done along 2km in eight streets. Carriageway levelling would be done along skm in 12 streets.

Footpath sealing and improvements would be done in 100 streets.

Road layouts at 15 to 18 places would be improved for safety and traffic service reasons.

The council would spend $104,500 on cycleways, up from $97,488 last year. Street construction work would cost $8,327,800, up from $6,602,347 last year.

Street maintenance spending would climb from S4M to SS.BM.

Traffic improvement work would cost $337,000, compared with $207,765 last year. The department would spend $596,200 on plant and building services, up from $494,574. Because recycling is not used and the metropolitan refuse disposal system loan charge has been reduced, the council would spend slightly less on refuse collection and disposal, down from $2,842,260 to $2,814,500.

Waterworks goals include the laying of 16km of replacement water mains and 3.lkm of extended mains. The maintenance programme for sub-mains and connections would be continued.