Invercargill bus fares and pool entry fees will stay the same next year.
Invercargill City Council on Tuesday decided against raising bus fares by up to 14 percent and Splash Palace entry fees by 10 percent after more than 150 people submitted on the proposed increases.
Most other council fees will still rise. Solid waste fees will increase between 10 and 18 percent. Parks and recreation services will go up 10 to 15 percent. On-street parking will cost 15 percent more per hour.
Mayor Tom Campbell said community feedback about accessibility drove the decision on buses and the pool.
"Ultimately, the reality is that the cost to provide myriad services to our community are rising dramatically, and the increases within our upcoming Fees and Charges schedule better reflect the true cost of providing these to our community," Campbell said. "If we did not increase user-pays costs to these services, this financial shortfall would have to be recouped via our rating system, which would have a financial impact on our entire community."
"However, as a Council we have heard from many in our community that the proposed increases to bus fares would have a significant effect upon the affordability of our public transportation network for those struggling the most in our community, at a time when fuel costs are placing a significant financial burden on households. Similarly, a number of submitters raised the impact any fee increase at Splash Palace could have on accessibility at one of our key wellbeing facilities within the city. The global economic climate is an extremely challenging one at the moment, and Council has to take a careful and considered approach to ensure we strike the right balance between service delivery costs and what we charge to use those services."
Keeping bus fares unchanged will add 0.09 percent to rates in the 2026/2027 annual plan. Not raising pool entry fees will add 0.01 percent.
Council group manager finance and assurance Patricia Christie said the organisation reviews its fees and charges schedule every year. For 2026/2027, most fees were set to increase between 5 and 15 percent to account for rising service delivery costs, including inflation and corporate overheads.
"Council has listened to everybody in our community who made a submission, and I again want to thank those residents who did so, for taking the time to share their feedback with those elected to represent them," Campbell said.
The new schedule takes effect July 1.