2008/09 annual plan adopted

At Tuesday’s Council meeting Taupo District Councillors adopted the 2008/09 Annual Plan after incorporating a number of requests from the community.

The Annual Plan sets the rates for the year ahead, the activities that Council plans to undertake and the deviations from the Long Term Council Community Plan (LTCCP).

Council have been successful in keeping the rates increase as close to inflation as possible for Taupo District Ratepayers. The average District rates increase has been kept to 4.60% which is almost 2% less than the 6.46% forecast in Council’s ten year plan. This is made up of a 3.96% increase within the Taupo/Kaingaroa – Mangakino/Pouakani (TKMP) area and 5.80% within the Turangi/Tongariro (TT) area.

A number of changes were made to the draft Annual Plan following an in-depth round of consultation with the community.

“I am really pleased with the outcomes of the submissions and deliberations on the Annual Plan. As a result of people taking the time to write in, we have been able to provide additional funding for several community groups including the Waiora Community Trust, Taupo School of Music, Lake Taupo District Sports Advisory Council and Creative Taupo as well as a number of other initiatives,” said Mayor Rick Cooper.

Other changes to the draft Annual Plan as a result of submissions include, amendments to the footpath programme, increased funding for rural road seal and extension of the bus service, increased capital expenditure to improve the reliability and capacity of the Mangakino Wastewater Treatment Plant and amendments to fees and charges to the AC Baths and Events Centre and Genesis Energy Aquatic Centre.

Some of the key projects in the Annual Plan include the Commercial and Industrial Structure Plan which will consider the future of Taupo town and the CBD, the Urban Lands Master Plan which will shape the residential, commercial and industrial direction of the eastern side of Taupo town, a focus on the District’s drinking water and wastewater treatment and an upgrade of the Turangi and Mangakino stormwater systems.

An amendment to the 2006/16 Long Term Council Community Plan was also adopted to incorporate changes to the Investment Policy and Liability Management Policy.

The message Mayor Rick Cooper and fellow Councillors had given staff leading up to the adoption of the draft plan was that it was crucial that the rate increase be as close to the rate of inflation as possible, whilst maintaining current levels of service.

Mayor Rick said, “This year we have worked really hard to keep the rates increase at a sustainable level and to find a good balance between affordability and the desires of our communities. Congratulations to staff for making this goal a reality for the District.”

Deputy Mayor Christine McElwee voted for the Annual Plan for the first time in six years saying she was thrilled that the rates had been kept at an acceptable level. Councillor Kathryn Uvhagen, Chair of the TK/MP Committee was pleased that she was finally able to vote in support of the Annual Plan and that the proposed increases were achieved without resorting to cutting levels of service.

"It’s clear from feedback I have received that ratepayers are happy with the levels of service and I am very proud that we will continue to deliver these while also keeping rates increases to a minimum," she said.

Councillor Don Ormsby, Chairman of the Turangi/Tongariro Community Board said, "Although the rates increase was higher than originally planned, real progress was being made at the Southern end of the lake with the Turangi Library due to open at the end of the month, the Genesis Energy Aquatic Centre around a month away from completion and excellent progress being made on the Community Health Centre.”

The next planning phase coming up for the Council is the review of the Long Term Council Community Plan (LTCCP) which occurs every three years.

In the second half of 2008, Council will be consulting with the community in a range of different ways to find out residents hopes, aspirations and dreams for the future of the District. “We want to capture feedback from the people on the street to include in our Long Term Council Community Plan. This is our (Council’s) vision for the future,” says Mayor Rick.