Huge interest in Council plan
9 April 2018
More than 5,500 people have gone online to find out what Waipa District Council is planning for the next 10 years.
At the same time, nearly 2,000 ratepayers have found out what their rates may be using the online rates calculator.
So far, 300-plus individuals have made a formal submission on the Council's draft 10-Year Plan. The draft plan is detailed on the website futurewaipa.co.nz which relaunched in mid-March. The website hosts the Council's draft 10-Year Plan consultation document which details major proposals and plans for the coming decade, the rates calculator and submission form.
Council will be seeking feedback on its proposals until April 20 and has provided more than 20 opportunities for people to meet with senior staff and elected members face-to-face. So far, more than 500 people have been involved in those meetings, with hundreds more commenting on the Council's Facebook page.
Council's communication and engagement manager Natalie Palmer said district ratepayers have been quick to have their say on what Council is proposing.
As well as the more formal submissions, we're seeing a lot of comments on Facebook and through our social media channels, she said.
We'll be capturing all of these comments and presenting them to our Mayor and councillors to ensure those voices are heard. However if people want to make a more formal submission then they can do this through futurewaipa.co.nz. That lets us keep in touch with them around any specific questions or ideas they raised and let them know personally what final decisions are made.
Based on the draft 10-Year Plan now being discussed, Waipa's average rates increase for the coming 2018/19 year (including water supply charges) will be 1.87 per cent. From July this year, recovery charges for water supply will be removed from the rates bill and will be billed separately. Without water, the average rates bill will decrease by more than five per cent.
Over the next 10 years (2018-2028), the average annual rates increase is proposed to be 1.53 per cent per year (not including water supply charges).