Christel Yardley/Stuff
Three days of deliberations in the Hamilton City Council debating chamber failed to whittle down an 8.9 per cent rates hike in the 2021/22 financial year.
After three solid days of bickering, number crunching and U-turns, the Hamilton City Council has failed to whittle down a projected 8.9 per cent rates increase by a single decimal point.
The council has set the rate for the 2021/22 financial year in its long term plan deliberations as well as ongoing rates increases of 4.9 per cent for each of the following two years.
As the long term plan deliberations progressed and, evidently alarmed their labours were making very little impact on the projected rates increase, councillors made some big budgeting decisions towards the end of the process.