What Christchurch costs...

• 310,000 people live in Christchurch. Christchurch City Council spends $214 million each year on all services or $1.89 per person per day for everything provided by Council including roads, parks, sewers, water, libraries, refuse collection, drainage.

• $78 milion is funded from direct charges for services provided and a further $20 million from interest, dividends and other corporate revenues.

• The total rates bill for the City is $115 million. The average residential ratepayer pays $797.00. This is equivalent to $2.18 per household per day.

• This figure compares to other costs such as:
  Telephone rental: $1.20 per day.
  Sky TV: $1.80 per day.
  Insurance for house, contents, and car: $2.20 per day (assuming $800 per year)
  Petrol: $2.85 per day (assuming $20 per week)

• Cost of Major Projects

  The completed cost of the Convention Centre, and WestpacTrust Centre, combined, will add $28.40 per year to the average residential rate bill. This is equivalent to 7.8 cents per ratepayer, per day.

• Debt

  Christchurch City Council's debt is currently $223 million. The interest cost on this debt is only 5.3 percent of total income. When the debt peaks in 2003/4 the interest cost will be slightly less than 8 percent of total income.
  Compared to home mortgages and business loans this is very small and reflects the conservative financial limits Council has set itself.
  

November 1997 City Scene ~ City Scene Archive