The council recently set the rates, as part of the Annual Plan process, with an average rates increase of 4.9% for 2011/12.

The process requires council to allocate costs to the community of delivering services to your property. We allocate these costs by rates which are, in general effect, a property tax. Rates can reflect the benefits that are available to you, but may not necessarily reflect your individual use of council services.

Rates notices will be sent out in early August detailing the amount of rates payable on your property for 2011/12. Although the average rates increase is 4.9% across the whole district, rate changes will be different for each property (ranging from -10% to +33%) and will vary from suburb to suburb.

There are a number of reasons for this, including pressures resulting from the Christchurch earthquake impacting on insurance costs, the GST increase to 15%, increasing debt balance and the need to maintain our district’s infrastructure assets, but the most significant is the effect of the 2010 district wide revaluation.

Every property in New Zealand must be revalued for rating purposes at least once every three years according to the Rating Valuations Act 1998. The revaluation of Wanganui properties took place in 2010 and these new valuations have been used as a basis to allocate rates for every property in 2011/12.

The revaluation showed an average decrease in capital value of 7.6% and a decrease in land value of 12.1%. The impact of the revaluation will differ from property to property. If your property values have fallen more than these averages, you will have a smaller than average rates increase for those rates set on capital or land value.

The table shows the changes to rates by suburb over the last five years and the changes to the residential, farming and commercial categories. The district was last revalued in 2007 and the effect of this can be seen in the rates for 2008/09 which show large increases in some suburbs and rates reductions for others.

More information about revaluation and understanding your rates can be found here.

A recent survey of users of Gonville Café Library shows the library is popular and well used by local people in the Gonville and Castlecliff area but attracts visitors from as far afield as Kauarapaoa and Marton.

The majority of those surveyed visit the library on a regular basis, with 37% visiting more than once a week and 35% visiting at least fortnightly.

Users were asked which services they primarily use the library for and nearly 60% of respondents listed using the internet as one of their main services. The Gonville and Castlecliff areas are underserved in terms of access to digital and computer services, so the availability of free internet at the library is important to the community. 36% of respondents used the café services on site.

More than half of respondents had travelled to the library by car with 26% visiting on foot, highlighting the local nature of many users.

Respondents were also invited to leave feedback. One visitor said, "love this library – friendly helpful staff, great break at the end of the week!"

Gonville Café Library is located at 44 Abbot Street and open Monday to Friday, 9.30am to 5.00pm and on Saturdays from 10am to 2.00pm.

At a meeting of the Wanganui District Council's Youth Committee, two new Youth Councillors were sworn in by Deputy Mayor Rangi Wills.

Priyanka Bangia is 14 years old and attends Wanganui Girls College. She enjoys singing, drama, debating and writing and believes her strengths as a youth councillor are communicating, connecting with others and making her opinion heard in a group.

Amaan Merchant is 13 years old and attends Wanganui High School. His interests are varied and include computer programming, analysis of mathematical and scientific problems and video games. He believes his strengths are public speaking and good leadership.

By accepting their positions as Youth Councillors Priyanka and Amaan will support positive youth development in Wanganui by speaking up, being heard and taking part in initiatives which contribute to Wanganui being a great place for young people.

Hundreds of Wanganui people turned up to see the Rugby World Cup Roadshow when it rolled into town on Saturday, July 16. Members of the Wanganui Camera Club were there to capture all the fun.

The photographs have been turned into a slide-show and can be seen at Harvey Norman Photo Centre and in the shop window next to The Post Office Book shop in Ridgway Street today and tomorrow (Friday, 29 July) between 10.00am and 4.00pm.

The slideshow captures the excitement of the event as people found out more about the Rugby World Cup and the REAL Whanganui Festival. The Festival will keep locals and visitors entertained with a vast array of arts events including performances, exhibitions, operetta and workshops during the world cup period.

Details about all of the events in the REAL Whanganui Festival can be found here.

Wanganui District Council is undertaking a review of its Revenue and Financing Policy (funding review) to determine how services provided by Council will be funded in the future and who will pay for them.

Council believes that it needs to consider all feasible alternative funding mechanisms and to make it clearer to the community why and how it funds its services so we are seeking community input to the process. 

Council services are funded by a combination of rates, user fees, debt and development contributions.

When deciding how a particular service should be funded, the Council considers who benefits (for example, the whole community, or sectors of the community), the period of benefits and the rationale for providing the service.

The funding review does not determine the work that Council will perform or how Council will spend its money, but who pays for the services.

Information on how we currently fund services can be obtained from:

• The Customer Service Desk, Wanganui District Council, 101 Guyton Street, Wanganui, or
• The “Who Benefits” analysis on page 180 to 195 of the 2009-2019 10 Year Plan available online here.

 
Members of the public who wish to make a submission are invited to contribute their views and to advise whether they also wish to speak to Council at the meeting.  The meeting will be held on 1 September 2011 at 1.00pm in the Council Chamber, 101 Guyton Street, Wanganui. 

Information on how to make a submission and a submission form can be found here or from the Customer Services Desk, Wanganui District Council, 101 Guyton Street, Wanganui.

Submissions must reach us no later than 5.00pm on 19 August 2011. 

The Wanganui District Council is working with the Wanganui Resene PaintWise Programme. Wanganui residents can return unwanted paint (no solvents accepted) and paint packaging to the Resene Colour Shop. It is then mixed into varying shades of grey paint. Resene donates the resulting good quality waterborne Resene paint to community groups in Wanganui.

Residents can return up to 10 packs of any brand of paint free of charge.

Where:  Resene Colour Shop, 17 Wilson Street, Wanganui; phone 348 0048
When:    Deliver it on the last Friday of every month
Time:     Between 2.00pm and 4.00pm

Diary these dates
Friday        29 July 2011
Friday        26 August 2011
Friday        30 September 2011

You can also help by reporting graffiti as and when it happens. Telephone the Graffiti Hotline 349 0500 for removal of graffiti in highly visible areas of Wanganui.

We welcome members of the public to attend our meetings.

Hearings and Regulatory – Monday, August 1 (2.00pm, Council Chamber)

• Objection to Menacing Dog Classification.

Infrastructure and Property – Tuesday, August 2 (2.00pm, Council Chamber)

• Petition Treadwell Street/Springvale Road Intersection Street Lighting; Petition – Caversham Park Footpath; Parsons Street Safety Improvements; Talbot Street/Rangitikei Street Intersection Safety Improvements;    Infrastructure Update Report; Majestic Square – Wanganui War Memorial Conference and Convention Centre Forecourt Link; Horizons Region Draft Regional Transport Plan 2010-2020 Consultation; National Infrastructure Plan – PowerPoint Presentation; NZ Transport Agency State Highway Classification; Septic Tank Disposal at Beach Road Pump Station; Property Group Activity Report – Part 1: Confidential: Property Group Activity Report – Part 2

Council – Thursday, August 4 (1.00pm, Council Chamber)

• Waste Recycling

Community and Environment – Thursday, August 4 (2.00pm, Council Chamber)

Community and Environment – Monday, August 8 (4.00pm, Committee Room 2)
(It is expected that this meeting will be held with the public excluded)

• Community Contracts 2011/12 Assessment Workshop

Strategy and Finance – Tuesday, August 9 (2.00pm, Council Chamber)

Agendas are available at the Customer Services Counter, Municipal Office Building, 101 Guyton Street, Wanganui and the Wanganui District Library two working days prior to the meeting.