Council proposes fee adjustments for 2025-27: we want your feedback

As costs to deliver some services continue to rise, Waipā District Council is reviewing its fees and charges to ensure that everyone who uses its services contributes fairly.

The community is invited to have its say on the proposed changes for 2025-2027 from today.

While most of the adjustments reflect inflation, there are a few exceptions where the actual costs weren’t being fully recovered.

The increases won’t impact the whole community though — fees and charges only come into play for services such as dog registrations, building consents, and cemeteries.

Group manager strategy Kirsty Downey said that the changes will enable a bigger portion of the costs for services to be met by those who directly benefit from them.

"If we don’t charge users, the alternative is to cover the costs through general rates, which means all ratepayers would pay," she said. "We don’t think that’s fair, so asking for a reasonable fee from those who use specific services makes the most sense."

The level of fees set, and the proportion of costs to be recovered for each activity, are set out in the Council’s Revenue and Finance Policy, which is reviewed alongside the Long Term Plan.

“In previous years, fees and charges were reviewed and consulted on every year. Now, we’re aligning them with our Long Term Plan process, to make sure they stay up-to-date, reflect the true cost of services, and so the costs for any new services can be recovered,” Downey said.

“We invite you to review the proposed changes and share your thoughts with us. Your feedback helps us make sure we’re providing fair and balanced fees and charges for services to everyone in Waipā.”

Consultation is open until 5pm Sunday, May 18. The statement of proposal, draft schedule of fees and charges for 2025-27 and the submission form is available at waipadc.govt.nz/draftfeesandcharges. Hardcopies are available at council offices and libraries.