BOROUGH RATES

Wairarapa Times-Age, 7 June 1939, Page 6

BOROUGH RATES

SLIGHT INCREASE DECIDED UPON MAYOR REVIEWS POSITION. PERMANENT AND OTHER WORKS “We have increased the annual expenditure on new street construction, kerbing and footpaths, provided additional services in the way of a ladies rest room, emergency water equipment, accommodation and equipment with a view to the establishment of our own repair shop in the near future, besides completing our contribution to the Dominion Court and Provincial Memorial,” said the Mayor, Mr T. Jordan, this morning, giving a review of the borough s position in relation to the estimates for the current year. “We are making a step forward in the office by providing for the installation of an up-to-date cash register and filing system, both of which are long overdue,” Mr Jordan continued. “The hospital rate is increased by ten per cent to meet the increased levy made upon us by the Hospital Board and there is a slight increase also in the street lighting rate ih order to provide for an extension of vapour lights in Queen Street to the Kuripuni Triangle and additional lights on the Te Ore Ore Road approach to the hospital. The general rate, out of which all maintenance and administration costs are found, we have been able to keep at the same level as last year, 4 5-8 d in the pound on the unimproved value. In the case of the special rates there has been a little variation each way, according as there was, a debit or credit balance in the loan account. In the case of the Lansdowne area the increase in the special rates is due to the loss of part of the rateable value of property, owing to the gift of land to the borough by the Williams Trustees. We have altered the incidence of the rate for the interest and sinking fund of our water loan, amounting to £7BO per year. In the past this has been levied as a rate on unimproved value, but owing to objections raised by the Auditor-Gen-eral this has now been altered and the amount of the interest and sinking fund has been raised as part of the water supply rate, based upon the annual value instead of the unimproved value. The effect of this has been to give slight relief to the higher valued Queen Street properties and to throw a little more burden on residential properties. In my opinion, the fairest method of rating for all our purposes would be on the annual value instead of very largely on the unimproved value and I hope that the matter will be taken up by the municipal authorities in the near future. “In the total,” said Mr Jordan, “the rates will show, in the case of residential properties, an increase of approximately five per cent, but the increase in the case of Queen Street properties will be less than half this, about 1-1 per cent. Actual figures are: A.Lansdowne residential property will pay this year £l5 17s Bd, as compared with £l5 2s last year; a College Street ■residential property will pay £8 4s Bd, as compared with £7 16s 9d last year, and a Queen Street commercial property will pay £209 13s lOd. against £206 5s 2d last year. In the case of the latter property, £2 3s 7d of the increase is due to the increased hospital rate, while electric street lighting accounts for another 10s lid, I am glad,” added Mr Jordan, “that the council was able to renew its grant of £lOO to the local aero club. This also will come out of the. general rate.”