The City receives many requests from residents and property owners to provide works and services that may be considered for a Special Rate and Charge Scheme (SRC) and will require a contribution from property owners.

Many requests for infrastructure or services arise due to development and the need for modern day standard infrastructure in order to maintain reasonable levels of health, safety and amenity.

SRC schemes may be applied to the following (but are not limited to these):

• new sealed roads
• sealing unsealed roads or laneways
• traffic management
• kerb and channel
• footpaths
• drainage works – easements, drains
• street lighting
• marketing and promotion.

We are proposing to add:

• Consideration of health impacts, in line with the Local Government Act 1989, within our prioritisation framework.
• A stronger threshold for community support: 60% evidence of support from property owners at each stage of engagement (an increase from the previous 51%).

We are proposing to remove:

• The requirement to apply the four criteria principles to all potential SRC schemes. While originally intended to ensure consistency, these principles have proven too rigid in practice, making it harder for new proposals to progress, and limiting flexibility

• The type of infrastructure offered through an upgrade program, such as:
  • sealed roads
  • kerb and channel
  • footpaths
  • underground drainage
  • street lighting
  • other capital infrastructure.
• The timeframe for reconsidering an unsupported scheme (currently set at 10 years).
• The percentage of property owner support required for an SRC to proceed (currently 51% but we prefer 60% to reflect a clear majority).
• The type of service offered under a SRC.

• The types of benefit:
  • Special benefit (benefit received by the property owner directly).
  • Community benefit (benefit received by the wider community).
• Compliance with relevant legislation.
• Matters dealt with under the Special Rate and Charge scheme procedure.