Environment BOP has held its rate increase to 3.8 per cent this year as it expects to spend about $79.6 million compared to the $83.1 million forecast in its Ten Year Plan.
One third of this will be funded from investment income; one third from government funding, user fees and charges and other revenue.

This means just one third will be funded from general and targeted rates.
Environment BOP's proposed rates and work programmes for the year are contained in the council's draft Annual Plan 2010-2011, which will be available for public submissions from March 26 until April 28.
'It's business as usual,” says regional council chairman John Cronin.
'We're continuing to work to the programme developed last year during the Ten Year Plan process.
'The draft Annual Plan details the work we want to complete over the next financial year – what we think are realistic targets at reasonable costs.
'There's very little that's new or changed – we're focusing on completing our existing programmes and consolidating the good work from previous years.”

Proposed changes include:
- Additional resourcing for an integrated management approach for Tauranga Harbour
- No dairy discharge rate for Rotorua farmers
- A new $2.1 million grant for the Maketu/Little Waihi sewerage scheme coming from investment reserves
- Funding the $1.9 million grant for the Lake Rotoiti Sewerage Scheme from investment reserves instead of general funds and targeted rates
- Providing a grant to the Animal Health Board for bovine tuberculosis control
- Retaining the current number of accessible buses in Rotorua and no increase in services for Tauranga
- Bringing to an end the HazMobile collections due to a reduced need for the service
- Not running the first year of the Regional Infrastructure Fund, instead directly funding the two sewerage schemes.

Examples of 2010/11 rate costs based on average land value at different locations within the region and with GST set at 12.5 per cent are: