Transport rate rolls into 7th year

There is an estimated $8.5 million still unallocated in the Rodney Local Board Transport Targeted Rate fund, according to the most recent information from Auckland Transport (AT).

Of that total, $1.3 million remains in the Wellsford subdivision budget and $1.17 million in the Warkworth subdivision budget.

The targeted rate, which costs Rodney ratepayers $150 per annum, is in the seventh year of its planned 10-year term.

It has primarily been spent on footpaths, bus services and some unsealed road improvements. The Warkworth park & ride by the showgrounds and the new 999 bus service in Warkworth have both been funded by the rate.

The targeted rate is expected to generate $47.62 million over the 10-year period, with just over $39 million already spent or committed.

The rate has funded unsealed road improvements in Krippner Road, Hepburn Creek Road, Upper Waiwera Road, Anderson Road, Tauhoa Road and Omaha Valley Road. Jones Road has been deferred until later in 2025, due to winter weather conditions.

AT programme manager Graeme Gunthorp said most of Warkworth’s remaining funds would be spent on the proposed McKinney Road footpath.

“We were instructed to construct [the path] in the middle of 2022 with an approved budget of $1.19 million,” Gunthorp said.

“We now want to make certain that the [Warkworth] subdivision has the funds available as construction inflation may make the small surplus insufficient to complete the project, so that will be one where we’ll come back to you with more information, especially as we move to complete Mason Heights. Plus, while Goodall Road is finished, at the time of writing there was a small remainder on that project to pay.”

AT plans further discussions with the board to determine how the surplus in the Wellsford subdivision will be spent.

Michelle Carmichael said that if there were any left-over funds, there was a lot of interest in extending the 999 bus loop to include ‘hospitality’ hours on Friday and Saturday evenings.

“Does that need to be part of the report that comes through – if it’s possible and what the cost would be?” she asked.

Elected member relationship partner (North) Beth Houlbrooke said AT needed to get the board a bit more detail on McKinney Road and then it would be in a better position to make a decision.

“There’ll be some trade-offs possibly that need to be made and that will be purely over to you,” Houlbrooke said.

Carmichael said the corresponding information about the bus would assist in determining the priorities.