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Auckland Council has earmarked $124.6 million for unsealed road improvements over the next 10 years, but there is still no indication of when the money will be spent.
Similar large sums have been allocated in previous budgets, but with only a fraction spent in years one and two.
Rodney councillor Greg Sayers says he is advocating for the money, which is for capital long-term fixes, including sealing, to be “front-loaded”.
“As well as this, additional money has been allocated by Auckland Transport to improve ongoing maintenance service levels,” Sayers says. “Instead of just one grading crew to cover the entire Rodney area, there are now five.”
Cr Sayers says the Rodney Local Board has received a massive funding increase to $48.5 million for the next three years to further support community programmes.
“This will be on top of an additional increase to $102.7 million for building new, and restoring old, council facilities such as toilets and community centres.
“No other local board received such a dramatic increase in funding. These significant wins go a long way towards closing the inequality funding gap Rodney has unfairly experienced since the formation of the Supercity.”
Sayers says he is pleased, too, for the Okahukura and Te Arai communities, who received approval to self-manage their large area land drainage projects.
He says the other big win in the budget was the $19.7 million for the Hill Street intersection upgrade.
“There were concerns this project would be cancelled with the removal of the Auckland Regional Fuel
Tax, which partially funded it. However, the void has been successfully plugged through redirecting local rates and development contributions into financing this project.”
Residential property owners are looking at rate increases of 6.8 percent, 5.8 percent, and 7.9 percent respectively, in the next three years, and then no more than 3.5 per cent each year after that.
A refuse targeted rate will be introduced in Rodney in 2025/26, which will apply to all residential and lifestyle Separately Used and Inhabited Parts (SUIPs) to which the service is available, and all other SUIPs to which a council refuse bin is assigned.
Most of the $10 million increase in Auckland Transport’s budget will go to public transport.
