A majority of Environment Canterbury councillors support increasing their rates by up to 24.5 per cent.
A South Canterbury based Environment Canterbury councillor believes its draft Long Term Plan, which also includes steep rate rises, does not go far enough environmentally.
Dr Elizabeth McKenzie said “we have an unprecedented budget because we live in unprecedented times” during debate on its draft LTP which proposes a 24 per cent rates increase for the 2021-22 financial year, a 9 per cent increase for the following year and an average of about 4 per cent annually for the remaining eight years of the plan.
“Restoring our environment doesn’t come cheap,” McKenzie said.