Council Budget Decisions

The average increase in rates across Marlborough was held to 3.19% after a day-long consideration of more than seven hundred submissions from ratepayers.

The figure edged up by 0.4% on the original estimate after councillors reviewed the submissions.

Key decisions include

• Councillors agreed to reinstate annual funding of $50,000 for Arts and Culture Strategy after initially withdrawing it, attracting a raft of submissions calling for it to be restored.
• Council also reinstated the $37,500 annual budget for its Heritage Strategy, cut the previous year.
• Building and consent fees for not-for-profit organisations will continue to be waived after a re-think of a proposal to end this waiver.
• The Aviation Heritage Museum Trust will get a $1.4 M loan, rather than the proposed grant of that amount. In return, Council wants to appoint a suitably qualified council employee as a trustee to increase oversight of the Trust’s activities. Council also agreed that if the Aviation Heritage Centre raises all the finance to complete the second stage of the centre itself within five years, the loan will be written off.
• Councillors approved the $6 M purchase of the existing Civic Theatre block in Queen Street, as well as confirming an earlier agreement to grant $5 M for a new theatre.

Marlborough Mayor Alistair Sowman says councillors aimed to keep the rate increase as low as possible while taking on board the views of those who made submissions.

“It is always tough to decide what is in and what is to be cut. It’s a balancing act,” said Mr Sowman.

The Aviation Heritage Centre, he said, has been a success story but the demands of servicing its set-up loan had limited its marketing and growth.

“We know it’s a valuable tourist attraction for the region bringing in good crowds but we would like to work with the centre to expand visitor targets. We also hope the loan conditions will be an incentive for the trust to move ahead with its second stage of development themed on World War II,” said Mr Sowman.

The Mayor said the decision to buy the Queen Street block including the existing civic theatre was an important town planning measure for Blenheim.

“During the recent public consultations with our town planning experts, that block was singled out as a strategic site for a mixed community and retail development which would inject life back into Queen Street. The possibility of building a new library there would fulfil that aspiration so it’s important to secure the site so the Council is in a position to deliver on that plan in future,” said Mr Sowman.

“We don’t know when that will be but it’s in the long term interests of the town to start the planning now,” he said.

With the budgets now approved, a full Council meeting at the end of the month will formally adopt the Annual Plan 2011-12 and strike the rates for the year ahead.

Some of the smaller sums approved in this year’s Annual Plan are important to the community or organisation to which they have been granted, including:

Double Bay Reserve toilet, Moetapu Bay Road           $25,000 from existing budget

Blenheim Golf Club                                                           $40,000 share of cost of new irrigation system

Grovetown Lagoon Project                                               $24,000 for weed control from existing budget

Flaxbourne Domain                                                           $8,840 to seal driveway

Awatere Community Trust                                                Annual budget increased by $13,150 plus $7,500 for                                                                                                  running the information office. Also $3,000 for                                                                                                              swimming pool costs from existing budget

Wairau Valley School                                                        $1,500 grant for running costs for swimming pool in                                                                                                    community use

Renwick Recreation Committee                                    $8,000 increase in maintenance grant for Renwick                                                                                                     Domain

SoundsFish                                                                        $4,300 for operating costs and $15,000 for                                                                                                                   management plan

Rarangi Surf Lifesaving                                                   $10,000 for operating costs

Sport Tasman                                                                   $28,000 for various sporting activities and events

Many submissions did not receive immediate funding approval but have been referred to Council committees for further investigation including:

• A secured, fenced dog park in Renwick
• A grant for a large share of the cost of a new sewerage treatment system at Kiwi Ranch Trust in the Queen Charlotte Sound
• Free parking permits for senior citizens
• Financial backing for a history book on Blenheim founding father Arthur Penrose Seymour
• Parking, signs and rubbish bins for Barnicoat’s Heritage trail from Havelock
• Sealing of Ugbrooke Road in Awatere Valley
• Financial support for Marlborough Historical Society to create a marine farming exhibition
• National Whaling Development Centre Trust’s plan for a national whaling centre in Picton

Submissions calling for improvements to the Blenheim and Picton libraries have been referred to the next year’s budget round. Long term planning is underway to address the space shortage at each location.