Council adopts ten year plan but is concerned by the approach taken by the audit office

Taupo District Council has adopted its ten year plan, ‘Towards 2019’ for public consultation and has expressed concern that the Office Of the Auditor General has overstepped their bounds based on comments made in the audit opinion which has been qualified

Councillors were unanimous in their support of the ten year plan which has been composed after a sustained and indepth period of pre-consultation with people in the district, including one on one consultation and a Council and Community EXPO which allowed Council staff and elected members to engage with over 2,200 ratepayers and residents and gather a great deal of feedback on what people want for their neighbourhoods in the future.

Some of the more exciting proposals included in the plan include a new Arts/Heritage/Cultural Centre possibly linked to a new Civic Centre in Taupo, a footbridge over the Waikato river by the boat harbour, changes to the Taupo CBD and working with residents in some of our older neighbourhoods to renew and upgrade these areas. Turangi will look at the possible redevelopment of the Turangi Airpark and also undertake a feasibility study for McLaren Park and Turangi Park. Plans for Mangakino include redeveloping the Service Centre and Library, landscaping of Mangakino reserves and a walkway from Whakamaru village to junction shops.

Public submissions are being extended for an extra month to ensure there is plenty of time to get submissions in. Acting CEO Anne McLeod said “given 33% of our ratepayers live out of the district, we have worked really hard to get our plan out before Xmas so they have a chance to find out about our plans while they are here on holiday.” Submissions will close on 27 February 2009.

Councillors were very pleased that the level of rates has been kept very close to the rate of inflation at 5.4%, this includes 5.2% for TKMP (northern) rating area and 6.9% for TT (southern) rating area. Mayor Rick says “I am extremely pleased that we have been able to knock down the projected rate increase for 2009/10 from 10.81% as forecast in the 2006/16 ten year plan to 5.4% in this new plan. In addition rates for future years trend down to a rate increase level of 1%. While I would like to say there will be no rates increases, this is the next best thing.”

Councillors were however quite concerned with the qualified audit opinion, which said that although we have met all of our legislative requirements and our accounts are in order, they thought our performance measures should have been set out differently. Councillors expressed their wish to write a strongly worded letter to the Office of the Auditor General, which should be copied to the Minister of Local Government, the Honourable Rodney Hide.

The letter should outline their concerns on the contradictory statements included in the audit opinion and also the immense cost of the audit fee which is estimated to cost Taupo District ratepayers $100,000. Mayor Rick says “this is pure nonsense and the worst kind of bureaucratic thuggery.”

Deputy Mayor Christine McElwee supported the Mayors comments saying that the audit process required by law is flawed. “The fact that the draft ten year plan is audited before it goes out to the public for comment, and then again when the final version is adopted "is farcical and the double expense is unjustifiable. I for one want to see a very detailed invoice from Audit New Zealand with a full breakdown of all costs before our ratepayers' money goes towards those costs," she said.