Council approves Draft Annual Plan

The Nelson City Council has approved its 2008/009 draft Annual Plan which will soon open for public consultation.

Deputy Mayor Rachel Reese says the draft Annual Plan represents an opportunity for Nelsonians to consider the overall package of service and to make comment. “I hope everyone will take the opportunity to give Council feedback on specific projects.

The message we have received from the Nelson community is that community facilities need improving and we want to deliver on that promise. This plan is a key tool to providing a city that the public want” Councillor Reese says.

Councillor Reese says despite an increase in rates, Nelson City remains one of the lower rated regions in the country ranking in the bottom 25 percent of all local authorities. For the average household the increase will represent an additional $3.86 per week.

The increase is due to a number of factors including increased construction costs and interest rates as well as proposed additional services. These include the Saxton field stadium, planning work for the Performing Arts and Conference Centre, improved air quality, the upgraded sewage treatment ponds at Nelson North, implementation of the 2004 Events Strategy designed to bring increased tourism, celebrations of the 150th anniversary of Nelson being declared a city, further development of sustainable transport options through improved and new footpaths and cycleways.

Councillors also added $160,000 to the Plan to allow work to commence on a backlog of Resource Management Plan amendments, some of which have been outstanding for several years. Councillor Reese says this will involve preparing changes to the Resource Management Plan which will aim to simplify some of its provision and remove unnecessary regulations.

The Annual Plan process is the main opportunity to influence Council’s direction in this financial year so the community is encouraged to get involved.

The draft Annual Plan will be published for public consultation on Tuesday 8 April and submissions are invited until 4pm on Tuesday 13 May. A summary of the Plan will be published in Live Nelson next month. Following the closure of submissions, Council will consider all submissions and hold a series of hearings before altering the Plan as required and adopting it on Friday 6 June.

Councillors considered areas where savings could be made and reduced the previous suggested increase in festivals expenditure by $150,000.

The projected overall rates increase is 11.16%.