The demolition of Stratford's old pool building is one of the top priorities identified in the council's long term plan which is now out for consultation. Photo / Alyssa Smith
The demolition of Stratford's old pool building is one of the top priorities identified in the council's long term plan which is now out for consultation. Photo / Alyssa Smith
Stratford District Council is seeking public feedback on its 2024-34 long-term plan (LTP) that contains a proposed rates increase substantially higher for 2024/25 than previously predicted.
The Stratford District Council’s 2024-2034 Long Term Plan went out for consultation on March 28 with a series of public meetings to beheld over April.
The plan contains a proposed overall rates increase of 15.5 per cent for 2024/25, well up on the 4.96 per cent predicted for 2024/25 in the 2021-31 LTP.
The draft plan was formally adopted and released for consultation at an extraordinary council meeting on Tuesday, March 26.
The 15.5 per cent rates increase wasn’t something elected members and council staff wanted, said Stratford District Mayor Neil Volzke after the meeting.
“Being in the double digits hurts, and we know it won’t be welcomed by our ratepayers. But we believe we’ve done everything we can to get the rates down without lowering key service levels and jeopardising future progress for our district.”
While the increase is in the double digits, it is substantially lower than it could have been, he said.
“When we started working on the LTP we were facing a potential 30 per cent increase. This was to include everything we felt our community had asked for in terms of service levels and key projects.
“To cut that in half, we’ve had to consider a more ‘back to basics’ approach which means minimising spending on nice-to-have projects, reducing budgets where possible, and focusing on maintaining the core essentials.”
Juggling community needs and desires against budget restrictions is an issue many councils are facing right now, Volzke said.
“We needed to be realistic, and to be frank we just can’t afford everything. We’re not alone in this, districts up and down the country are grappling with increasing costs and the difficult task of paying for these which directly impacts on rates.
“Our proposed rate increase has come out slightly under the national average. For some context, a 1 per cent rate increase equals approximately $160,000 in our budget.”
The first year will be the toughest, he says, with a proposed rate limit of 7 per cent for all remaining years contained in the LTP.
Stratford District Councillors want to earthquake strengthen the TET multi-sports centre on Portia Street, a priority they have identified in the district's long term plan. Photo / Alyssa Smith
At the extraordinary meeting, councillor Grant Boyde said a lot of work had gone into the document.
“I congratulate staff for for the time and effort that has gone into this. There has been a hell of a lot of work and I don’t think people realise the time that goes into this. I also commend the councillors for the time that has gone into this as well.”
He said for that meeting alone, there had been 1558 pages to read beforehand.
Every meeting discussing LTP decisions had, he said, come with “good discussion and debate”.
Volzke said elected members and council officers had worked on the LTP and associated budgets for several months now, and it was time for the public to do their part.
“It’s been a long road to get to this point, and now we need our community to step up and make a submission. We want to know if people think we can save more? What are they willing to lose to keep rates down? Do they agree with our top priorities and our proposed plan of action for these?”
Those top priorities include the earthquake strengthening of the TET multi-sports centre on Portia Street, the demolition of the old pool building on Miranda Street and upgrades to the town centre around Prospero Place and Broadway, as well as maintaining roads and water supplies.
Volzke says details of all the proposed projects are included in the draft Long Term Plan (LTP) 2024-34 consultation document and supporting information available on council’s website and from some council facilities.
People can make submissions until May 1.
“Please do take the opportunity to share your views, attend our public meetings or get in touch with us to talk more.”
