Tararua LTCCP Confronts The Future

With the draft Long Term Council Community Plan (LTCCP) now ready for public submissions, Tararua confronts some challenging figures with an 8.9% district average rate increase for the next financial year.

Ratepayers also face similar district wide increases for the following two years, if the projects signalled in the plan are to go ahead.

“The increases are actually consistent with those set in motion and forecast three years ago,” Mayor Maureen Reynolds points out.

“Which is why it is extremely important that the public has input into the contents of the draft document,” she says.

Meetings will be held district wide until April 30 with the emphasis on open days to ensure ease of access to the mayor, councillors and staff.

The provision and maintenance of core network infrastructure, financial prudence and community support underpin the council’s focus.

But substantial changes to delivery would be needed if residents elected to offset the costs required to meet the outcomes expected of rural councils.
Due to a lack of detail in the asset management plans for solid waste, water, stormwater and sewerage, that show the detailed basis for costs in delivering these services, Audit New Zealand has given a qualified opinion on the LTCCP.
The document proposed a number of changes.

To help manage the ever- increasing costs for services of some activities, the council has proposed that the maintenance of parks and reserves, and specialist water treatment plants will be delivered by two ‘in-house’ dedicated teams instead of external contractors.

Service centres and information centres are also under scrutiny as the council considers the possibility of combining both operations to achieve greater cost efficiency.
It also proposes that contributions towards new pools in Eketahuna and Pahiatua would be capped at $206,000 and $319,000 respectively.

Comment is invited on the proposed main street beautification projects for Woodville (2010/11), Eketahuna (2013/14) and Pahiatua (2016/18). The council would like feedback on whether the timing and the funding scope for the projects are appropriate.
In order to upgrade drinking water standards $3.2 million is budgeted to deliver public health risk and asset management plans but further development will require government subsidy.

Because of the Pahiatua Track’s strategic position in times of adverse weather the council is seeking regional funding at 85% subsidy for upgrading purposes, with the local share of $1.2 million to be loan funded.

The council is hopeful that its major project to provide 168km of fibre optics to the district will attract a government subsidy.

The proposals in the draft community plan reflected this whilst also addressing the district’s community outcomes contained in its economic, environmental, social and cultural well beings.

The council had debated “long and hard” about the projects outlined in the Community Plan, balancing the need to keep the district moving ahead whilst recognising economic uncertainty and the impact on families, Mrs Reynolds said.