Every three years council is required to review and update the Long Term Plan. It is a massive undertaking which started more than 12 months ago and involves reviewing almost every major document in our system. The end product will be around 1300 pages long and for many of you, may just be the sleep aid you are looking for. But in all seriousness, that is why we publish an abbreviated version called the Consultation Document which highlights the key issues council is trying to address.
We need good feedback from the community, both supportive and critical of the council's preferred options. The Long Term Plan is our single most important guiding document and I encourage you to participate in the consultation.
There are some gnarly issues to deal with including water conservation and metering. There are times each year when the lack of water in the Patea River severely limits the amount we are permitted to take from it. This is likely to get worse. Using our available water more efficiently will help prevent future shortages and further delay the need to find new water sources, a very expensive and difficult exercise. Often touted as the solution is increased storage capacity, this would help, but it is definitely not the silver bullet we need and doesn't reduce water use.