Nelson City Council agrees to move forward with the next steps in adopting its Annual Plan for 2022/23
11/03/2022 1:01pm
Nelson City Council has voted not to consult on the Annual Plan 2022/23, as it has remained consistent with last year’s Long Term Plan (LTP), including the proposed Year 2 increase in rates requirement remaining at 5.4% and debt levels being similar with what was forecast.
Under the Local Government Act, councils are not required to consult on an annual plan if it does not include significant or material differences from the content of the LTP for that year.
The proposed rates increase would be below the Consumer Price Index (CPI) of 5.9%. The Uniform Annual General Charge (UAGC) will also be reduced by 2% in response to increases in three waters fixed charges.
Changes to capital projects consist largely of movements of funds within the next few years to allow for efficient work programmes and do not represent a reduction in levels of service. One new budget item is the addition of a $1.8 million ‘Covid Inflation Allowance’ to respond to increased costs due to the pandemic. This has already been approved by Council.
Staff also considered whether any proposed changes in this Annual Plan would have a negative impact on Council’s key priorities set out in the LTP, and no significant impacts were identified.
Mayor Rachel Reese said the report is a strong indication of the consistency and stability of Council’s planning processes.
“We received a record number of submissions for our Long Term Plan last year, with over 660 people or organisations providing input. We will continue to concentrate our resources on delivering services to our community as agreed in our Long Term Plan.”
The Mayor said consultation is an important element of Council’s processes, and public feedback is being sought on major work programmes such as the Future Development Strategy Review and the City Centre Library.
A report to adopt the final Annual Plan and rates for 2022/23 will be brought to Council before the end of June this year. Before this, the Annual Plan's key messages will be communicated to the public through Council's normal channels to ensure everyone is kept informed.
