Rate increase to be minimal

Press, 4 May 1988, Page 8

Rate increase to be minimal

By

KAY FORRESTER

The Christchurch City Council is on target for a single-figure rate increase with the latest draft budget to win committee approval.

The parks and recreation draft budget was yesterday passed on to the budget sub-committee with a rates increase requirement of only 5.3 per cent.

The council will today consider the draft works and planning budget, at $44 million easily the largest part of the city’s budget. The draft budget contains an increase of only 3 or 4 per cent and once the corporate overheads, previously met elsewhere in the budget, are taken off, the increase is almost nil, the figure the works committee’s chairman, Cr Ron Wright, had as his target. ■ Together parks and works make up about 70 per cent of the city budget. Traditionally the budget sub-committee, which will begin its deliberations tomorrow, trims the draft budgets sent to it by individual committees. The council seems set to bring in a budget which demands from the ratepayers a single-figure increase.

Cr Alex Clark warned yesterday of cutting the cloth too fine and not doing essential work. The deputy general manager (parks), Mr Rob Dally, assured councillors that the department could achieve all the items included in the draft budget..

The budget includes $75,000 for “Summer Times,” $300,000 for the redevelopment of South Victoria Square, and $30,000 for work in the inner city.

Councillors trimmed another $20,000 from Queen Elizabeth II Park, bringing that complex’s budget under $1 million for the first time in several years, Cr David Cox noted.

The total rates requirement would be $9.06 million to fund an expenditure of $16.1 million. The council’s budget meeting, at which the rates will be set, will be on May 23. Park

A consultant’s report on Queen Elizabeth II Park has recommended that patrons be offered the

options of a dawn dip,’ tension tamer, or squash, steam ’n’ swim.

A marketing and pricing study was done on the park by Calder, Fielding and McAra Advertising and Marketing Consultants. The study was commissioned by the Christchurch City Council last August. The consultants asked for further advice on pricing in December. Including in the marketing strategies recommended are packages for use of more than one facility for a single fee, special school prices, week-day specials, and a combined pool and hydroslide ticket.

The consultant’s pricing report estimated that for the Queen Elizabeth II Park pool to cover costs revenue from it must increase 67 per cent on last year. For the stadium the increase needed is 69 per cent and for the creche, 53 per cent. The report to yesterday’s parks and recreation department was accompanied by a schedule of revised charges and

services. These charges, it noted, had been set to reflect a reasonable market rate.

The pricing policy says that the charges will be reviewed and adjusted regularly. The new prices will be implemented in May (squash and gym), August (creche and pools), September (room hire), and October (stadium).

The increases in charges were approved yesterday by the committee. Alterations to the pool hours were also approved.

The aim is increased flexibility and to work in with the pricing policy ■approved.

N.Z. Experience

A detailed report on the proposal to establish a New Zealand Experience centre at the park will be made to the June committee meeting. The proposal has drawn criticism from two residents’ groups in New Brighton who are unhappy about escalating commercial development at the park.