Whakatane District Council Draft Annual Plan for 2010/11 open for consultation
Monday 29 March 2010, 3:54PM
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The Whakatane District Council Draft Annual Plan for the 2010/11 year is now open for consultation. The Council is calling for public feedback on the proposals contained in the plan, which is open for public consultation from Friday March 26 to Tuesday April 27, 2010.
Whakatane District Mayor Colin Holmes is urging the public to use this opportunity to provide feedback on the Draft Annual Plan, which would see the proposed rates increase of 11.9% indicated in the LTCCP drop to 8.49%
Rates affordability was a key focus during a review of the second year of the 2009-19 Long-term Community Council Plan (LTCCP), said Mr Holmes.
“The Council has reviewed its programmes and made significant reductions to achieve a balance between providing necessary services to the community and making the rates increase more affordable.”
Major changes to the budget that are being proposed include the deferment of $3 million capital works, primarily related to transport network improvements; establishing an annual provision of $275,000 to build up to a maximum of $1 million contingency fund to pay for storm-damaged road repair costs, fund the 2008/09 operating deficit of $1.95million over a three-year period and reducing internal costs by a further $886,000.
The Council is proposing a number of changes to policies through the Draft Annual Plan. These include the introducing rating on the basis of Separately Use or Inhabitable Parts of a Rating Unit (SUIPs), provide greater flexibility in debt management, and bring forward the implementation of the Earthquake-prone Buildings Policy and some changes to the Revenue and Financing Policy.
Mr Holmes said there are a number of projects and activities that have and are likely to be negatively affected by changes to central government funding policies and legislative reforms. These include wastewater projects in Matata and Te Teko which are heavily reliant on government subsidies to proceed.
Mr Holmes said the reduction in central government funding for a number of activities including road safety, walking and cycling means initiatives have been put on hold and some projects are at risk of not proceeding until government funding decisions are made.
Public submissions are open from March 26 to April 27. Copy of the Draft Annual Plan, summary of the annual plan and submission forms are available on the Council website www.whakatane.govt.nz or from Council offices in Whakatane and Murupara. Submissions close on Tuesday April 27, 2010 at 5pm.