Nelson City Council

Where do your rates dollars go?

Rates generate around half of Council’s income, with the rest coming from dividends and user charges like parking, rentals or Central Government subsidies.

In the 2010/11 financial year, Council budgeted for an annual income of $88.8 million; of that, $51.4 million is coming from rates.

Here's a graphic image stating each rates dollar is spent (content of image follows):

The last line in the image above states that solid waste management, such as the transfer station, landfill, green waste, recycling, and waste minimisation, is not included in the above graphic because it is fully user pays.

Content of graphic image above

Water: 19.3c
Water supply, treatment, pipe network

Transport: 13.0c
Roads, street cleaning, footpaths, cycleways, some public transport

Waste water: 12.3c
Sewage treatment and disposal

Parks and reserves: 11.3c
Conservation, landscape, esplanade, foreshore and sports field reserves, neighbourhood and horticultural parks

Community housing, regional facilities: 10.6c
Public libraries, cemetery, crematorium, public toilets, marina, community properties, motor camps

Stormwater: 7.4c
Pipes, channels, protection from flooding

Culture, heritage and arts: 6.9c
Planning, museum, Suter Art Gallery, historic buildings and sites, grands, festivals and Sister City links

Recreation: 5.4c
Programmes, planning, Trafalgar Centre, golf courses, swimming pools, Natureland Zoo, grants

Environmental management: 4.7c
Policies, plans, information and monitoring the environment

Regulatory compliance: 3.6c
Consents, licences, public health and monitoring (partly user pays)

Economic and tourism support: 2.8c
Nelson Regional Economic Development Agency and Nelson Tasman Tourism

Social development and assistance 1.4c
Liaison, grants, programmes, settlement support, safe city, monitoring

Managing emergencies: 0.8c
Civil defence and emergency management

Heart of Nelson 0.4c
Central city improvement projects