This is where your elected representatives on the council do some of the most important heavy lifting to try to get the best for ratepayers that we can. Not everyone has time to go back and watch an online council meeting, so I’m going to give you a flavour of the discussion ‘round the table before we adopted our draft Annual Plan. This was the latest in a long series of discussions, both before and after Cyclone Gabrielle.
Repairing our battered roads is going to be a huge part of our recovery. It’s also a key area of focus in our Annual Plan and in the engagement survey, which you’ll find at the link on our website, chbdc.govt.nz. Councillor Muggeridge championed more use of reserves to co-fund these repairs and minimise the rating impact. We’ve included this in the plan – albeit while noting we never know when the next event is coming along and we can’t empty the coffers completely.
Councillors Greer and Aitken also considered the timeframe of the roading programme - could this be extended to a five-year rather than a three-year programme, easing pressure on ratepayers? We decided to leave it at three years, as we think there is relative urgency and extending it to five could create angst over an even longer period of time.
Councillor Taylor emphasised the need to plan for ongoing resilience in our water infrastructure such as the Waipukurau Second Supply project, which is intended as a back-up for old reservoirs that are in need of replacement. We took into consideration that ongoing Three Waters improvements will always be needed to meet environmental and consenting standards. Most costs in a current year come from increasing debt, so it’s crucial we align our budget with actual work so we are not over-rating compared to what we can deliver.
While considering our capital programme, the importance of our approach to stormwater management was particularly emphasised by CHB Deputy Mayor Annand. Community recovery conversations right across the district clearly articulated priorities in both roading and stormwater resilience to get us through the coming year.
Councillor Exham spoke of his concerns around housing and the wellbeing of the community, both very much part of our recovery conversations. He feels, as we all do, that delivering a realistic, affordable Annual Plan with our community firmly in mind must be our priority while we also engage with central government on other sources of funding. We are considering how other options could be used to support this work, including Better Off funding from the Three Waters reforms.
I’m grateful to have had a team of committed, hard-working and community-focused councillors with me at the council table as we worked through the implications of our budget for 2023-24. The Annual Plan is one of the most important documents a council produces.
We’ve removed projects, delayed work, decided not to refill some internal roles, found additional funding options and pushed pretty hard on what we can deliver. Have we got the balance right? Do you think our Annual Plan has captured the post-cyclone priorities of our district and balanced risk against our responsibilities to the community? Please let us know.
