Public consultation on TCC annual plan

City council. Photo/file

Public consultation on Tauranga City Council's draft annual plan for 2016/17 is now open.

Residents can make online submissions until 5pm on April 4 at www.tauranga.govt.nz/annual-plan-2016-17

Through the 2015-2025 Long Term Plan, council set its course of action to successfully manage Tauranga's growth into the future - providing and maintaining infrastructure for the growing city, delivering efficient services to communities and investing in Tauranga's future, while managing rates and debt.

Council said it is on track to deliver on this plan by limiting rates increases to levels in line with what was agreed for the 2016/17 year while managing unprecedented levels of growth that require more investment in infrastructure and expenditure for service delivery.

Council has asked the public to share their thoughts on its plans and budget for the year ahead.

Through consultation council was seeking feedback from the community on the material and significant differences to what was planned last year for 2016/17.

These proposals, along with their potential impact on rates, are set out in a Consultation Document available at www.tauranga.govt.nz/annual-plan-2016-17, in the Council Customer Service Centre and in local libraries including the mobile library.

The main proposals include additional expenditure to:
· ramp up building services delivery and be able to respond to the rapidly increasing number of building consent applications;
· deliver a top class airport to keep our city connected;
· give support to more community-led projects by increasing the community development match fund;
· provide wastewater reticulation in the Matapihi Marae Zones;
· look at the options for our Civic Campus and the heart of our city;
· make doing business with council easier, with more online services, by upgrading our Information, Communication and Technology systems;
· encourage visitors to spend more time and money in our city by improving visitor information services;
· deliver better accessible facilities at Baycourt;
· create an exciting city for residents and visitors by improving the delivery and promotion of our city events;
· bolster economic vibrancy and opportunities by supporting the attraction of investment, businesses and skills to our city;
· keep our communities safe by delivering tsunami-safe assembly areas in Papamoa East;
· better serve our library customers with longer opening hours and more books; and
· deliver a well-functioning city by providing the right infrastructure at the right time to meet our rapid growth.