Media Release - FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Submissions on the Westland District Council Draft Annual Plan for 2024/2025 open on 2 April at 9 am. Council has deferred the 2024-2034 Long Term Plan in favour of the Draft Annual Plan to allow time to plan for the future of three waters infrastructure following the Government’s announcement of Local Water Done Well.
This year’s plan increases the funding required to meet the Council’s statutory obligations for drinking water, stormwater and wastewater supply, monitoring, and reporting. These requirements have significantly increased the costs of these activities. Depreciation of the assets for these activities has also been reinstated, following the Government’s decision to leave these assets with local Councils. Revaluation of these assets in 2023 increased their value by 11.36%, with this increase flowing into the depreciation covered by rates. Ratepayers who are connected to these supplies will see this reflected in the indicative rate increases.
Overall, the average proposed rate increase is 19.7%, however, the general rate increase is only 0.68% so some ratepayers, especially those who are not connected to three waters, may see reductions in their rates for 2024/2025. Indicative rate changes are available in our Consultation Document and Annual Plan, and property-specific proposed rates will be available in the Rating Information Database on our website during the month of May.
Proposed amendments in this year’s plan cover a wide range of topics that Council has been considering over the past year. We would like to hear from the community about what they think of Council’s plans for our headquarters and how much road maintenance they think we should be doing. Some of the topics only affect specific communities within the district, with Council seeking opinions on the future of the Ross Swimming Pool Structure, funding for community development in the Franz Josef and Fox Glacier communities and the Hokitika Area Promotions rate, all of which are funded by these communities through targeted rates.
We encourage everyone to read the consultation document and make a submission before 12 pm on Friday 3 May.
ENDS
Media enquiries to:
Emma Rae, Strategy and Communications Advisor
Emma.rae@westlanddc.govt.nz