10-year plan adopted in principle

Mike McVicker

After a month of consultation, nearly 500 submissions, four days of public hearings, and hours of heated debate, Rotorua District councillors yesterday gathered to adopt their 2015-2025 Long-Term Plan.

Except they couldn't: Delays in the required auditing process meant councillors were only able to adopt the plan "in principle", and must now wait until July 22 to formally sign off the 10-year blueprint for Rotorua's future.

Rotorua Lake's Council chief financial officer Thomas Colle said the delay would not affect the average 7 per cent rates increase.

The first round of rates payments under the new plan would remain due on August 20, Mr Colle said.

A number of reasons were given for the delay, including a longer consultation period, the volume of submissions, and the availability of the team from Audit New Zealand.

Final deliberations had also ran over by a day as councillors thrashed out issues such as rates increases, kerbside recycling, and a $15 million upgrade to the Aquatic Centre.

After being assured by Mr Colle there were "no substantial issues" with the plan and auditing was simply a formality - "very minor wording changes, grammar and such" - councillors gave their final thoughts on the document.

In an impassioned speech before the vote, mayor Steve Chadwick described the plan as the "most significant step since I became mayor", stressing the "achievement" of a planned $17 million reduction in council debt over the next decade.

Merepeka Raukawa-Tait said the plan "will see a completely different Rotorua in 10 years' time".

"It's not a desirable place for many people to live, stay, work and play, [but] this plan will rectify that," she said.

Rates increases and capital spending had proved the main sticking point between councillors throughout the process, and were revisited in statements from the three councillors to vote against the plan.

Mike McVicker said he continued to believe it was not "appropriate to burden our ratepayers with a high increase".

Rob Kent was even more blunt with his criticism.

"We haven't listened ... all we have done is increase expenditure."

They were joined by Glenys Searancke, in voting against the plan, who voiced similar concerns about "unnecessary expenditure".

For Mrs Searancke, a "no" vote represented a novelty in her many years as a councillor.

"I have never voted against a 10-year plan, [but] I regret this time I am."

-See Saturday's Rotorua Daily Post for a comment piece on the plan by Mrs Chadwick.