Waimakariri District Council adopts Annual Plan
Waimakariri District Council media release: 28th June 2022
The Waimakariri District Council has adopted its Annual Plan at a special meeting today. The plan lays out a prudent and responsible budget which will allow council to continue to deliver a high level of service, while also keeping rates increases to a minimum.
Council has committed to an average district wide rates increase of 4.5 percent which is just 0.3 percent higher than was predicted in the Long Term Plan (LTP) last year.
Some of the key projects in the Annual Plan include:
- Upgrades to the drinking water plants;
- A mixed use Community Hub in Kaiapoi;
- Upgrades to Rangiora Airfield;
- A commitment to protecting Significant Natural Areas;
- Kaiapoi storm water and flooding improvements; and
- Upgrades to roading infrastructure to provide safer roads.
Mayor Dan Gordon says current indications are that the Waimakariri District is performing well, despite the impacts of COVID-19 and global economic uncertainty.
“We set really clear objectives in the LTP. We wanted to ensure that we were going to be able to deliver on everything that we planned and it not be a case of over promising and under delivering. I’m very confident that can provide the very high level of service that our rate payers expect, while ensuring that we are not overspending at this crucial time.”
Last year in its Long Term Plan (LTP) Council included climate change for the first time. The Annual Plan, which tracks Council’s progress as it moves into the first year of the LTP, is underpinned by a conscious effort to enhance wellbeing, the environment and sustainability for our ever growing and changing district.
Mayor Gordon says a lot of the feedback through the submission process was that council was on the right track.
“People told us they are happy with our advocacy around Three Waters and our commitment to balancing growth and optimism with economic uncertainty.
“We brought climate change into the LTP for the first time last year. At the start of this council term we introduced a councillor portfolio to focus specifically on this.
"We know we have a lot of work to do and it will be a collaborative effort with other councils, as these issues don’t stop at the boundary of the Waimakariri District. However, making climate change a focus is part of our commitment to our district today and into the future.”