Mixed model for water recommended
Tuesday 6 December
Today Waipa District Council unanimously agreed to ask Hamilton City Council and Waikato District Council to consider a staged approach to the creation of a council-controlled organisation (CCO) which would manage water and wastewater on behalf of the three councils.
This mixed model' approach would mean a water company would still be formed, however councils, if they chose to, could retain ownership of their own water and wastewater assets. The company would be responsible for all water activities such as delivery of capital programmes and operational maintenance and would initially be funded by the councils.
For Waipa mayor Jim Mylchreest, this is an important, and really positive, option that should be considered as part of the wider CCO proposal.
This option would provide us with a much more prudent and risk-averse approach to managing water and wastewater across the three districts while still achieving many of the benefits of the asset-owning model.
Earlier this year, all three councils agreed to consult their communities on an agreement to form an asset-owning CCO. Waipa still intends to consult on this proposal, but would like the mixed model option also put out to the community to consider.
We want to make sure our communities are provided with the most cost efficient and resilient water supply and services. I believe this approach will achieve these benefits and should be put on the table to test with our communities, Mylchreest said.
For more information about the proposal to form a waters CCO go to www.waterstudywaikato.org.nz