CITY CORPORATION ESTIMATES

Otago Witness, Issue 3395, 9 April 1919, Page 43

CITY CORPORATION ESTIMATES

PROPOSAL TO INCREASE THE RATES. •

The Finance Committee submitted the following supplementary report at the meeting- of the City Council on the 2nd insfc.

Your committee submits herewith th» yearly estimates for the year, April 1, 1919. to March 31, 1920, in respect of the general account. The salient features of the estimates may be stated as follows:—(a) The proposed expenditure is set down at £117,299; (b) the expenditure for the year just closed was £104,060; (c) the proposed increased expenditure is therefore £13,229; (d) the estimated receipts outside of rates and transfers from the trading accounts amount to £23,698; (e) the product of the rates on last year's basis would be £62,080; (f) the transfers on the basie of lasli year would be £20,504 •; (g) the total of the figures in (d), (e), and (f) is £106,282; (h) the increased amount to be provided is therefore £11,017.

Your committee has given careful consideration to the whole position, .and to the report by the town clerk on the subject. and can see no alternative to the proposal to raise the increased revenue required by an increase in the. rates by 4d in the £. which would provide £11,548 of additional revenue. The committee accordingly ra« commended that the estimated differencebetween ' the proposed expenditure of £117,299 and the probable revenue'be madsi up as follo-ws:—(a) By striking a general rate of Is 9d in the £; (b) by striking « hospital rate of 4id in the £; (c) by , thqr transfer of the required balance (£19,972) from the trading accounts, in the following; proportion:—Gas supply account, ,£loßo} tram account, £3050; electric account, £ 4 790; water account, £ll,os2;—total, £19,972. It is therefore recommended tha*' the following bo the rates and charges fo* the financial year 1919-20: 1. A general rate of Is 9d In the £. 2. A hospital and charitable aid rate of 4£d in the £. 3. A uniform fee of 20s per pan on all premises served by the sanitary service.. 4. Water rates on the basis at present inl force.

' It is further recommended thai owinsr to the increased cost of the ordinary maintenance works upon which the city is engaged that no' applications for grants by any outside organisations or society, beyond thoso provided for on the estimates as now submitted., be entertained by the. council during ths. ensuing year.