Ratepayer Apathy will come back to Haunt

Stratford ratepayers will have no excuse to grumble in the future, says Stratford District Council CEO Michael Freeman. “Unless people make comments on our Long Term Plan, they will have no reason to complain about rates increases, user charges, or levels of service,” he says.

The Long Term Plan is a guide for council’s activities and decision-making over the next 10 years.

“Making a submission is easy,” Michael says, “but we need Stratford residents to engage their brains and make useful submissions that contribute to our planning for the future of the district.”

The council has attempted to engage the public through a newspaper insert, signage around Stratford, and through an easy online submission form. “There are also radio ads voiced by the mayor, and open meetings around the district for any member of the public to attend,” Michael says. “We can’t make it any clearer how important and easy it is for Stratford residents to have their say.”

Response so far has been slow, however. When asked to speculate about the reason, Michael says “I’d like to think that people are putting thought into their submission, rather than having forgotten altogether.”

“It’s vitally important that people have their say, so please don’t forget.”