Waipā hits pause on Long Term Plan
Waipā District Council has hit pause on its Long Term Plan and will pursue an Enhanced Annual Plan for the 2024/25 financial year.
The decision was formally made at an extraordinary council meeting this morning.
Deputy Chief Executive Ken Morris said like with many other local authorities, the re-inclusion of three waters had a major impact on the council’s level of debt and the debt metrics.
The extra time between now and adopting a Long Term Plan in the 2025/26 year was expected to bring more clarity on the Government’s plan for the future of water service delivery, and potentially the further development of other funding and finance options.
The Government was expecting to establish a framework and transitional arrangements for councils to self-determine future service delivery arrangements for three waters by mid-2024. A second wave of legislation will be introduced in December 2024 and enacted in mid-2025 that will provide for a range of structural and financing tools with regards to three waters.
“This option will afford the time for the Council to better understand the intended legislation and what it means for us, and explore other measures to relieve financial pressures,” Morris said.
Mayor Susan O’Regan said taking the option of an Enhanced Annual Plan was the most prudent approach.
“We need to be deliberate in our thinking as we plan for the future of our district and take the time to collect as much information as possible,” she said.
“This will provide the opportunity to build the district’s next Long Term Plan on a sounder basis, so we can make the decisions that are in the very best interest of our communities.”