The Stratford District Council has adopted its long-term plan. Photo / Ilona Hanne
The Stratford District Council has adopted its long-term plan. Photo / Ilona Hanne
Prospero Place upgrades, water delivery line replacements and earthquake strengthening the TET Multi-Sports Stadium are some key points in Stratford District Council’s long-term plan.
The 10-year plan, adopted at a council meeting on Tuesday, July 9, comes with a 15.37% average rate increase for 2024/25 and an average rateincrease of 4.3% for the remaining nine years of the plan.
The adoption of the LTP follows 12 months of conversations with the community, elected member workshops, line-by-line budget reviewing, a month of consultation, hearings and deliberations and, more recently, the final audit.
Mayor Neil Volzke said the long-term plan demanded lots of staff time and was the most important document elected members were involved with.
“Looking out to the next 10 years and focusing on what needs to be done in the first three, before we go through this process again, is a meaty piece of work. It involves many decisions, big and small, lots of debate and balancing community expectations against what’s realistic within the resources available to us. We’ve been upfront about the rise in rates and the reason behind it throughout this process and, like other councils across New Zealand, we’ve discussed what we’d have to lose to keep rates low.”
He said the feedback process showed Stratford residents wanted to see the town go forward.
“So, we’ve done our best to land in a position that means we can maintain service levels while focusing on bettering our district for future generations.”
The key projects in the first three years of the long-term plan include the demolition of the old TSB Pool Complex over 2024/25, Prospero Place upgrades and the replacement of the old water delivery line to the Stratford water treatment plant from 2024-2026.
In 2026/27 it is planned to earthquake strengthen the TET Multi-Sports Stadium.
The full LTP document will be online in the next couple of weeks and approved capital projects included in the LTP will be shared on YourSay.Stratford.govt.nz for residents to follow progress updates.
