South Wairarapa District Council’s swimming pool in Featherston. PHOTO/SUPPLIED
HAYLEY GASTMEIER
[email protected]
Swimming pool hours, library charges, pensioner housing rents, and footpaths.
These are the four key issues South Wairarapa District Council will be consulting on for its 2019/20 Annual Plan.
The council signed off on its consultation document at its meeting on Wednesday.
It outlines a proposed new rates increase of 4.69 per cent, which is slightly lower than forecast and would equate to an average increase of $2.33 a week for each residential household.
But that figure could rise depending on what residents want.
Extending the hours of the three South Wairarapa swimming pools is on the cards. That would come with a $28,000 price tag, resulting in an additional 0.2 per cent rate rise.
The pools, which are free for residents, are open 28.5 hours a week during the swimming season.
It’s proposed they open for 43.5 hours instead, with hours extended into the evenings and opening earlier in the weekends.
The council provides 32 pensioner housing units across the three towns, ranging in rental prices from $83 to $98 a week.
The rental income received is not covering costs and this has resulted in a negative reserve of $98,000.
The council wants to start recovering this deficit while keeping the units affordable for the district’s vulnerable residents.
It’s proposing an additional 0.41 per cent increase to rates above the proposed 4.69 per cent increase.
Senior rentals would be priced from $95 to $105.
An extra $375,000 would allow 500 metres of footpath in each South Wairarapa town to be upgraded on top of the footpath maintenance already budgeted for.
This option will increase rates by 2.68 per cent.
The council is also proposing to remove some or all fees and charges from its libraries in Featherston, Martinborough, and Greytown.
Building consents will be raised by two per cent this coming year, and council rubbish bags will increase by 10 cents each, bringing a bundle of 10 from $8 to $9.
Dog fees are also going up.
Public consultation on the annual plan opens on Wednesday, and submissions close at 4pm on May 8.
Community workshops will be held between now and then in the three main towns.
Hearings are planned for the end of May and the council will adopt the annual plan on June 26.
User pays for the swimming pools and the library’s leave the pensioners alone they dont get a pay rise very offen and they live on the smell of an oily rag now, look after our aged mother and fathers please. Footpaths have been crap for a long time some should have been fixed along time ago rots from trees are bad l have a couple of bad ones that trip me up offen down Jellicoe street and I am not young so don’t want to trip and break a hip. Even branches out over half the footpaths are bad l have to go on to the verge offen to go around them especially down the school road
How can you justify an increase in dog fees? as they stand they are an outrageous price. I am sure you are fully aware of what a dog is and who cares for it and covers all expenses, vets, feeding, home care, grooming, plus FEES…..which covers god knows what. Please if you have any common sense reduce the fees.