The Whakatāne District Council’s Annual Plan, fees and charges schedule and rates resolution for the 2016/17 financial year have now been adopted and will take effect from 1 July.

The annual plan sets out the activities and services the Council intends to deliver and details changes from the programme and costs projected in the 2015-25 Long Term Plan. Mayor Tony Bonne says Council elected members had approved a number of changes in response to public submissions to the Annual Plan.

“Despite that, we were able to trim the average rate rise across the district from 3.2 to 2.8 percent, which is considerably lower than the 3.84 percent rise predicted in the LTP,” he says. “Under the circumstances, that was a significant achievement, which addressed both rates affordability and the need to respond to the community feedback and keep our District moving forward.”

A key change resulting from the submissions process was the decision to expand the water supply upgrade planned for Edgecumbe to include the Te Teko community, through a linked supply from the Paul Road bore and an upgraded Tahuna Road bore. The revised project will have a total estimated cost of $5.2 million, an increase of close to $500,000, with the extra funding required to come from Plains Water Supply reserves.

Other changes approved though the plan’s adoption included:

• Water meters are to be installed in Edgecumbe, but consumption-based charges will be delayed until 2017/18 to allow property owners to identify and fix leaks on their properties
• Funding of $121,000 will be provided for the Toi Economic Development Agency
• Funding of $120,000 has been included for Sullivan Lake maintenance
• $50,000 has been provided to begin closing problem alleyways in Murupara and Whakatāne
• Free admission to the Murupara pool will be provided for individual users, and the pool season will be extended by a month (note that exclusive-use charges for groups will continue)

The increased costs arising from those changes were balanced by savings arising from changes to the district’s reserve mowing and solid waste services, which will begin to take effect from October.

Changes in capital expenditure budgets have also resulted from a number of projects being brought forward to the 2016/17 year, including:

• Runway lighting replacement and upgrading at Whakatāne Airport ($400,000)
• Replacement of aerators at the Whakatāne oxidation ponds ($200,000)
• Investigations into an alternative water supply source for the Whakatāne and Ōhope schemes ($60,000)
• Renewal of the Whakatāne Aquatic Centre compressors ($40,000)

Those increases were offset by deferred capital expenditure resulting from delays to several projects, including the Matatā wastewater system, Quay Street pontoon wharf development and Whakatāne Museum redevelopment.