Busy work programme ahead for Rotorua Lakes Council
20 January 2015
Councillors will soon be determining a detailed work programme for the year.
This is expected to be finalised next month.
A number of projects where high community interest and involvement is expected have already been signalled for 2015.
The projects are aligned to the Rotorua 2030 vision, as well as part of compliance with central government legislative requirements.
LONG-TERM PLAN 2015-2025:
This strategic plan is effectively a ten year blueprint for the district's future. It sets out, at a high level, what the council is going to do over that period, what it will cost, how it will be paid for, and how performance will be measured.
Legislation requires the development of a new Long-term Plan every three years. Public consultation on the 2015-2025 Long-term Plan will take place around April and public hearings will be held where people will be able to speak to the mayor and councillors in support of their submissions.
The new plan will be adopted by the mayor and councillors by the end of June and come into effect at the start of the new council financial year (1 July 2015).
The Long-term Plan will provide the mechanisms for the council to continue with progressing its Rotorua 2030 goals.
NEW SEWERAGE SCHEMES:
Progress is expected to be made on two key sewerage projects in 2015, both of which will support the council's Rotorua 2030 goal of an enhanced environment.
One is a new scheme for the lakeside communities of Rotoma and East Rotoiti. Just prior to Christmas the council approved recommendations for preferred sewerage schemes put forward by a community-based steering committee which had been considering a range of options and engaging with local residents throughout the year. The next steps will be to undertake design and costing work, and resource consent applications and consult further with the local communities.
The other key sewerage-related project also involves working alongside community and iwi representatives. This project is to identify alternatives to the existing spraying of treated wastewater from the wastewater treatment plant in Whakarewarewa forest.
TE ARAWA PARTNERSHIP MODEL:
Identifying and implementing a new partnership model between Te Arawa and the council is another key project for 2015. This would replace the previous Te Arawa Standing Committee which has been disestablished having been seen by both the council and iwi as no longer meeting the needs of both parties. Under legislation councils are required to put in place measures that help Maori to contribute to council decision-making.
At the last council meeting of 2014 Rotorua Lakes Council approved in principle a new partnership model submitted to Rotorua Lakes Council by Te Arawa, following a year of research and consultation with iwi members.
The model includes the establishment of an independent Te Arawa board outside of Council as the key group for council engagement and advice on matters related to iwi. That board would appoint two representatives, with voting rights, to sit on the council's two main standing committees, one representative on the council's Chief Executive Performance Committee and one on RMA consent hearings committees.
Before making final decisions on implementation of a new model for partnering with Te Arawa, the council will consult with the community over the coming months.
GREEN CORRIDOR:
The concept of a green corridor through the inner city area is aimed at providing a dedicated pathway alongside existing footpaths for the likes of cyclists, joggers, walking groups and people on scooters. In particular it will reinforce aspirations for Rotorua to become a more cycle-friendly city, by linking up with the existing network of cycleways across the district.
The project is expected to cost $397,000 in total, and the New Zealand Transport Agency has committed $227,000 of the project's funds.
Work on the first stage of the Green Corridor, through Kuirau Park, is expected to be completed in the next few months.
LOCAL ALCOHOL POLICY DEVELOPMENT:
Last year Rotorua Lakes Council received public submissions and held public hearings on a draft Local Alcohol Policy (LAP) being developed under the new Sale and Supply of Alcohol Act 2012. Work will continue this year to develop and finalise the LAP for Rotorua and a final version is expected to be adopted by the middle of the year.
This will be the first time councils have been able to develop alcohol policies that take into account their own local conditions and the views of their specific communities around things like the number of liquor outlets, their locations and when licensed premises are permitted to operate. This is something Rotorua Lakes Council has advocated for over many years.
The working group drafting the Local Alcohol Policy is chaired by Councillor Karen Hunt and includes councillors Rob Kent, Mike McVicker, Glenys Searancke and Tania Tapsell.
REPRESENTATION REVIEW:
The future shape of democracy in Rotorua district will to some extent be shaped by the outcome of a major review of representation arrangements for Rotorua district being undertaken this year.
The council is required to review these arrangements every six years and to look at matters such as how many councillors there should be, whether there should be wards and whether First Past the Post, STV (Single Transferable Vote) or some other voting system should be used.
The representation review will involve community consultation and when finalised will determine what arrangements will apply for the next local government elections due in 2016.