The Draft Annual Plan sets out what Council intends to deliver over the coming year, how it will be funded, and any changes from the Long Term Plan.

This year’s focus is on efficiency and value for money. According to Mayor Tracey Collis: “Council is making some tough but necessary changes as part of its commitment to cutting costs and delivering better value for the community. People will notice changes to the way services are delivered — that’s part of the rationalisation process Council is working through. Change is never easy, but the cost of doing nothing is far greater.”

In the Draft Annual Plan, the draft rates increase has been reduced from 11.79% to 7.71% by adjusting, delaying, or scaling back some activities. The increase is mainly driven by rising costs in water, wastewater, and stormwater services, which account for 4.47% of the total increase. Without water services included, the draft average rates increase would have been 3.23%.

Consultation on Local Water Done Well — which looks at how water services should be delivered in the Tararua District — is open until 22 April.

“Significant savings have been made in areas such as kerbside recycling. Several cost-saving measures have been put in place, such as bringing this service in-house. The average rate for kerbside recycling has gone down by 19.63%”, says Mayor Tracey Collis.

Council is also consulting on footpath maintenance, following funding cuts from NZTA. Residents are being asked whether to reduce the level of service or keep it the same and cover the shortfall through rates.

Council is seeking feedback on a proposal from the WaiSplash Board to purchase land and expand the car park at WaiSplash Community Aquatic Pool in Dannevirke, to help solve ongoing issues with parking and safety. The expansion would be funded from reserves, with no extra cost to ratepayers.

The Draft Annual Plan also gives an update on other work and planning that’s underway. This includes reviews of land and community buildings, pensioner housing, and recent service reviews (known as 17A reviews) of campgrounds, pools, and rubbish and recycling. These reviews look at how Council runs these services and whether there’s a better or more cost-effective way to deliver them.

There’s also important information about pensioner housing. Council is proposing to increase rents by an average of 15.22% this year, with further increases planned over the next three years. These changes will help keep the pensioner housing service self-funded and ensure there’s funding available to upgrade the units in future – many of the homes are nearly 50 years old.

Residents are invited to share their thoughts on Council’s plans and spending at www.tararuadc.govt.nz/consultations, or by visiting one of Council’s customer service centres or libraries to pick up a consultation form.