MANGAWHAI'S NO.1 NEWSPAPER
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Busy council now re-establishedCouncillor Comment: With Otamatea Ward Councillor Jonathan Larsen
The past month has been a very busy time on Council, with the three-yearly review of the Long Term Plan (LTP). The LTP is the ten-year budget which defines how Council work is to be prioritised and funded. This has important implications for all ratepayers and residents in terms of both level of service provided and the quantum of rates. The LTP Consultation Document will soon be released for public submissions, which close on Sunday 8 April 2018. f you would like to receive notifications on the LTP please email haveyoursay@kaipara.govt.nz to join the contact list. I have heard several comments recently that not much has been heard from me on Council this term. By way of explanation, when democratic Council returned the general desire of members was to have one voice while it became re-established, and I have respected this. More than a year has now transpired to allow that to occur. I would like to provide an update of some of the initiatives I have been taking to date on your behalf. In July last year I lodged six items on the agenda. Firstly I proposed a full review of the Reserves Contributions policy. When new lots are created through subdivision, Council collects reserves contributions to offset the effects of growth in those areas, by providing new, and enhancing existing reserves for the new residents moving into the locality. The current policy allocates 27 percent of the funds collected to two parks in lowgrowth areas. This proposal was successful – and the new policy not only provides for more equitable spending of the funds, but also includes a public process whereby community groups can submit a proposal for consideration. If you agree with this approach, you can make a submission in support of the new policy as part of the LTP process. Also start thinking about where you want new and upgraded reserves in your local area. I also proposed changes to the Mangawhai Endowment Lands Account (MELA) policy which resulted in a full review. This fund is very important to the community, as distributions are made each year to volunteer community groups to help with local projects. The policy had no inflation adjustment, meaning over time it would lose real value. This proposal was also successful – the policy has now been reviewed to include capital protection. Two other matters that passed successfully relate to Council’s appointment of independent commissioners for decision making. As a result, Council staff now require Council approval of any commissioners appointed to sit on district plan or plan change hearings. I am also part of a working group charged with developing a full new policy on appointing commissioners. This is intended to ensure that the process is transparent and there is no perception of staff bias in plan and consent hearings. I submitted a proposal to have Council meetings livestreamed and available for on-demand video viewing. This was to allow ratepayers to better engage with, and monitor, the performance of their elected members. This proposal didn’t gain any support from the rest of Council, however it was agreed that meetings would be held at different locations around the district. My proposal to have the times, dates and subjects of Council workshops (not just formal meetings) advertised was also successful. This means that ratepayers are advised of planned Council discussion and can attend when matters of interest to them arise. If you have any community projects or issues that you would like assistance with, I can be contacted on 021 185 8389 or Cr.Larsen@kaipara.govt.nz |