Everything’s going up in price from rates to rice pudding…but not in the Maniototo.

The area is the only one of the four wards in the Central Otago District to have their rates reduced, albeit not by much.

The Maniototo Community Board were told last week the ward’s average rates would be reduced by 0.4%.

This excluded district-wide rates and metered water. Influencing factors in assessing the final reduction had been elected member costs and movements in the general reserves held for Maniototo.

The coming increase in council rates, while still being finalised, was expected to be slightly less than the initially reported figure of an increase of 7.8%.

Total rates for the ward for the 2022/23 year would be around $933,680, with the 0.4% drop totalling just over $4,000.

Rates increased by an average of 6.7% across the district last financial year and were earlier predicted to go up by around another 7.6% this coming financial year. The total percentage increase over three years sits at around 21.8%.

Promotional grant approved

Rural Art Deco Maniototo have been granted just over $700 for the printing of promotional brochures, for its popular Art Deco Museum and Town Walk.

Annually, there is $15,000 to distribute in the council’s Maniototo community grants scheme and $5,000 to distribute through its promotions grants scheme.

Reviews of the grants policy took place in 2019, 2021 and 2022, aimed at streamlining processes and improving the experience for those using the system.

For this funding round, organisations were able to apply for the remainder of the 2021/22 financial year grants budgets, or for the coming financial year. No applications were received for projects needing funding in the 2022-2023 financial year.