Councillors at a meeting in 2021. Photo / Bevan Conley
Councillors at a meeting in 2021. Photo / Bevan Conley
Whanganui district councillors and the Mayor gave rousing speeches as they voted to approve annual and long-term plans.
Councillors were given a review of the annual plan (the final one of this council's term), the long-term plan for 2021-31 and the revenue and financing policy before being asked to approve them at a meeting yesterday .
The plans included changes, most notably around incorporating kerbside recycling and food waste services that are expected from July 1, 2023, and a year later for the food waste pick-up.
Mayor Hamish McDouall, in the closing comments, acknowledged the work by council officers as well as the councillors around the table.
Particularly at a time after the start of the pandemic, McDouall praised councillors for keeping rates low in 2020.
"Remember we got an average rates rise of under two per cent. Us. We did that."
Whanganui mayor Hamish McDouall. Photo / Bevan Conley
He said the Whanganui port revitalisation project and the Sarjeant Gallery redevelopment were "numbers wise" the two biggest projects the city had ever undertaken.
He said he suspected council "dodged a bullet" by not funding a roof for the velodrome because of the now skyrocketing cost of structural steel.
There was a comedy moment in the chambers when the Mayor admitted he was padding the session out so that councillor Josh Chandulal-Mackay could catch the end of the meeting.
"I don't know why, but he's driving down Springvale Rd about now so we're just going to pad out until he gets the chance to be here."
Chandulal-Mackay eventually arrived for the end of the meeting.
Councillor Rob Vinsen said he had concerns that kerbside recycling would not be up before July next year, due to the time it would take between an accepted tender and a contractor being ready.
"It's highly unlikely that a tender will be accepted before October/November.
"What we're looking at is, in the next financial year, a pro-rata application of the kerbside recycling rate. That might be a way of easing it in a bit."
Te Pūwaha, the Whanganui Port Revitalisation project, was one of the biggest projects the city had ever taken on. Photo / Supplied
Deputy Mayor Jenny Duncan thanked council staff for their work on the plans and said the 3.9 per cent rate rise for 2022-23 was a great achievement during a time of inflation.
She and councillor James Barron both said the council could improve the way it interacted with people after they made a submission on a topic.
Councillor Helen Craig launched into a positive speech about the city's future.
Data around the economy - retail, business, employment - were all up, she said.
"That's what we all got on council for."
She said it was exciting seeing young people wanting to move here and her passion for the town centre regeneration would continue - highlighting the changes in Drews Ave.
"I'm looking forward to what else we can roll out in the next couple of years."
Councillor Philippa Baker-Hogan agreed there was an exciting future for Whanganui but raised some points of concern she had.
"I don't want to be Dr Doomsday or whatever, but I hear people don't have confidence in our submissions process."
She said submissions showed people did not want a kerbside food waste collection and she was disappointed in the amount of money going towards the Sarjeant Gallery.
At the end of the meeting, McDouall put the motion to councillors, who all agreed, to adopt the amended annual term plan 2022-23, the long term plan 2021-31 and the revenue and financing policy 2022.
