Caught up in the ongoing Cook Strait ferries saga, Steve Simighean was forced to become an accidental Wellingtonian.
Simighean had a car that he needed to deliver to the South Island so, in January booked on the 1pm Interislander sailing on February 16. It was now that he filled out the council forms to become a “resident” of his daughter’s Wellington student flat, which he owned. “Others don’t and may not even have enough for fuel to got home. He was not able to rebook another sailing until a month later. Simighean acknowledged he was lucky. [delays and cancellations,](https://www.stuff.co.nz/dominion-post/news/wellington/131298026/stranded-ferry-customers-may-be-entitled-to-compensation-for-delays) which meant he ended up filling out Wellington City Council forms to declare himself a Wellington resident to get a resident’s parking permit and leave his car on the street, he had good reason to be dubious.
Scroll down to explore an interactive map of Wellington City Council's proposed budget. Wellington's mayor has defended a proposed 12.3 per cent rates ...
Below is an interactive map of the proposed operational expenditure. Below is an interactive map of the proposed capital expenditure. The operating expenditure budget shows there is an $84m deficit. Capital expenditure is money the council spends to acquire or upgrade fixed assets. Click on a category to see more detail about how the council plans to spend ratepayer money. “We have to make those significant investments in our city now. It resulted in a significant increase in the estimated replacement cost of those pipes, so the council decided to defer some depreciation in the short-term. Click on a category to see more detail about how the council is planning to spend ratepayer money. The council plans to spend about $19m on this activity, which will generate about $41m worth of income over the coming year. For example, the biggest capital spend the council wants to make this year is $76m on earthquake-strengthening and improving Wellington’s central library. “That is the stuff that stops a city from dying.” The capital’s forecast rates increase is about double what Auckland Council and Christchurch City Council are proposing.