Annual Plan 2016/17 and 10-Year Plan amendments adopted

Published on 30 June 2016

30 June 2016

Mayor Annette Main says the coming financial year will see the Whanganui District Council focussing on projects that reflect its Leading Edge Strategy aspirations while providing the services the community wants.

The Council today adopted its Annual Plan 2016/17 which sets out its work programmes and budget for the coming year.

“It is always a challenge to balance the services, facilities and progress our community wants against our ability to pay for them and this Annual Plan process was no exception,” Mayor Main said.

“The decisions we have made align closely with our Whanganui: Leading Edge Strategy, the vision which sets out our aspirations for our community, connectivity, creativity, environment and economy.

“As well as adopting our Annual Plan, we have approved three key amendments to the 10-Year Plan 2015-2025. The first is to note that new information provided during recent discussions with major trade waste users may lead to changes to our current wastewater scheme. Should a more affordable solution arise, the Council has the flexibility to accommodate any changes within the 2016/17 Annual Plan. Those changes would be reported back to the Council before a decision to proceed with any wastewater scheme occurs.

“The other two amendments relate to forces of nature. The 2015 weather event caused heartache for many people but also significant damage to our infrastructure. We have introduced a storm damage rate (for five years from 2016/17) to repay the costs of repairs. Residential and commercial properties will pay an extra rate of $44.70 per year, while farming properties pay an extra $49.70 – they will pay more because most of the damage was to our rural roading network.

“In Westbourne/Gonville stormwater is causing issues so we will be working on a solution to improve stormwater drainage and reduce the effect of small to medium size rain events in the area.”

For the year ahead the Council has included some initiatives in the Annual Plan that will see it partnering with community organisations to deliver social services and ensure our community is safe.

Requests for new or additional funding approved were:

• Waimarie Operating Trust - $25,000 additional grant for 2016/17 (total now $65,000) to assist with operational costs.
• Surf Lifesaving - $26,000 to support administration costs.
• Airport Control Tower Restoration Group – underwriting $72,000 to allow completion of Stage 2 of the restoration project.
• Community Education Whanganui – $15,000 from the existing Community Development budget to assist with continuity of service.
• Hazardous waste depot – an additional $20,000 to provide an upgraded domestic hazardous waste depot at the Whanganui Resource Recovery Centre.
• Whanganui East Pool – an additional $29,000 to ensure that the complex remains a safe environment for the community, and that the complex is professionally managed. This takes the total funding to $60,000.
• Emergency Management – $65,000 to expand the current Emergency Management staff capability. This will provide improved Emergency Operations Centre response in emergencies, and to engage with the community to increase their preparedness.
• Council Chamber sound system – an additional $18,000 for the upgrade of the sound system in the Council Chambers. Further investigations have shown the need to provide a system that will handle the complex environment as well as allowing for an increase in digital and online activities in the future.

However, despite this new funding being included in the Annual Plan, the average rates increase has remained at 4.5%, the same as was signalled in the proposed plan that went out for consultation, because of savings that have been found through the planning process.

There is a range of other work that is signalled in the Annual Plan which will help the Council deliver on its Leading Edge aspirations.

• We will be a partner in the development of a Whole of River Strategy. The partnership will help provide a strong foundation for the future health and wellbeing of the Whanganui River following settlement of the Whanganui River claim and the passing of the Te Awa Tupua Bill which recognises the river as a legal entity.

• The Town Centre Regeneration project aims to revitalise and beautify our central city area. It’s about developing new ideas for the best ways of using this space and embracing new uses so it’s not just a retail area but includes arts, entertainment, education and residential uses.

• The Castlecliff community is leading an exciting project to rejuvenate their suburb and we will continue to work closely with them as they develop their plans.

• In late June 2016 we achieved reaccreditation as a Safe Community. We were first accredited as a World Health Organisation Safe Community in 2010. This ongoing work involves partnerships with a range of community organisations and other agencies to make our place safe and healthy for our community.

• Our focus on enhancing our reputation will see us telling our unique stories to the rest of New Zealand and working with those who can influence our reputation in a positive way.

• We intend to develop a Creative City Strategy to help us celebrate successes and find improvements. This process includes assessment of where we currently sit on the Creative City Index which measures against a broad range of indicators – for example, from being an open and tolerant community to enhancing our talent and learning capacity.

• Our aim is to make doing business and investing as seamless and easy as possible so we are adopting a business-friendly policy across the whole of Council. This will ensure we are as enabling as we can be at all stages of our interactions and have processes in place that send a clear message that we are open for business and investment.

“It is by working together that we can ensure Whanganui’s future as a vibrant and diverse community where great things happen,” Mayor Main said.