Asked to confirm if parking meters were among options, she said a variety of options for charging visitors for parking was being investigated.
"We're signposting in our consultation document that over the next 12 months we'll be investigating and researching options for charging visitors for car parking at our tourist hotspots and towns. We will be asking people what they think about introducing new fees and chages that target visitors more, for example car parking charges.
Already there are petitions circulating with hundreds of signatures, calling on TCDC to drop any ideas around parking meters.
Crazy, bizarre and old-fashioned are among the adjectives from retailers in Whangamatā.
"They'll just be pulled out," says Wayne Chatham of surf store D-Bar. "This town has had enough of money being sucked out."
Michael Bartley of Bartley Internet and Graphics said he believed side streets would fill with cars as people avoided paying, and doubted the cost of installing and monitoring any meters would cover itself.
"I had a parking warden from Te Awamutu come into the shop and his opinion was it would be terrible.
"It's sort of old-fashioned, when they were put in Hamilton the streets died, someone from Takapuna said the same thing happened there.
"It's just crazy."
Councillor Terry Walker said the council's aim was to help keep rates affordable with a proposed increase to existing fees and charges as well as the introduction of new fees and charges for the use of some services and facilities.
He said while the council was trying to increase revenue to offset costs to ratepayers,
initial feedback included impacts on elderly and disabled people, loss of the relaxed vibe of towns, impacts on retailers, administration costs and parking congestion elsewhere.
"Our towns want to welcome visitors who spend and support our shopping retailers."
TCDC spends about $130 million every year on services and infrastructure investments for communities. This money is spent on facilities such as parks and playgrounds, libraries, toilets and cemeteries and on services like rubbish and recycling, water and wastewater, roads and footpaths, consents and building control.
A "no frills" budget – one that is balanced and achievable within the financial year - was a key issue.
Other possible changes highlighted online include starting from December 26, 2021, reducing the frequency of rubbish collections between Boxing Day and early February in eastern seaboard townships from three times a week to twice a week. Non-peak rubbish collection takes place weekly.
The petition against measures being proposed in the LTP was started by Whangamatā Community Board member Kay Baker and calls for a halt to any reduction in rubbish collection services through the peak period, halting installing parking meters and halting any funding cut to the Whangamatā Information Centre.
"Reducing the [peak] rubbish collection, can you imagine what that would do?"
The Council spokesperson said any suggestion that funding cuts were being considered to the Whangamata Information Centre as part of the LTP is incorrect.
Councillor Walker says it was important that people submitted their views when the consultation begins on 5 March.
He said the council has decided to hold one public meeting in each community board area during the consultation period, and they will also provide staff and technical support should a prominent community group decide to hold a public meeting.
"While the LTP Consultation Document has yet to be adopted by council, it is important that the public take note and engage in reading about what is proposed and voice your views in submissions.
"Public feedback is key to changing council's mindset on issues they see do not meet with their or community views.
The council spokesperson said discussion had "moved on" from pre-consultation published online and council workshops where information was provided to elected members.
