Community participation has strongly influenced key decisions around the 2010 Queenstown Lakes District Council Annual Plan.

The council’s elected members will be asked to adopt the final plan on Tuesday, after it took into account submissions and hearings.

“Earlier this month the council deliberated on the plan and gave consideration to each and every submission received,” QLDC chief executive Debra Lawson said.

Several significant decisions needed to be taken.

“One of the key issues being consulted on was the relocation of the Queenstown Library to allow for future growth,” Ms Lawson said.

The majority of submissions were opposed to the proposal, in main, because people liked the library where it was.

“There were also some unforseen costs associated with the proposal, which aimed to be cost neutral, namely the need for additional staff across three floors. This was not supported,’ Ms Lawson said. The recommendation was for the library to remain where it was.

Safety in the Queenstown CBD was another high profile issue, with the council opting to include $200,000 in the plan (to enhance lighting) and for investigating the installation of CCTV in the town.

As a direct result of a submission an extra $20,000 was put in the plan to develop a concept design for improvements to Memorial Hall.

“We also looked at value for money for our smaller communities, having proposed a reduction in funding. Several of the communities made a strong case to reinstate the fund and council agreed, pending some new criteria,’ Ms Lawson said.

The council was receptive to a proposal for a co-ordinated, district-wide events body but felt, given the potential for the body to become rate funded, more detailed consultation with the community needed to be undertaken.

“We have set aside some funding for this and to investigate further a second proposal to develop an economic future agency, as proposed by the Queenstown Chamber of Commerce,” Ms Lawson said.

A figure of $25,000 was included in the plan to allow the council to undertake consultation on both concepts.

Finally the cost of depreciation would not be as high as anticipated, resulting in a 1 percent rates reduction, helping to offset some of the additional expenditure included from the submission process.

The proposed average rate increase was 7.7% (allowing for a 3.2% growth rate) a reduction on the rate consulted through the Draft Annual Plan.

“This is also 0.8% lower than the 8.5% increase signalled in the 10-Year-Plan,” Ms Lawson said.

ENDS

For further information please contact Debra Lawson or Deputy Chief Executive and Director of Finance Stewart Burns 03 441 0499.

By: Andrea Bunting