Bulk of board funding for parks and sport
Consultation on Rodney’s draft local board plan ended on June 30, and the board is now looking at how to spend funds in the community.
A targeted rate where residents would pay more to help fund transport infrastructure has been proposed.
But it also had plans to pump more into parks, sport and recreation - with planned expenditure rising from $7 million in 2016-2017 to $8.9m in 2017-2018.
‘‘Rodney doesn’t have a public swimming pool or multisport facilities, but previous work has shown a clear and growing demand for them,’’ the plan said.
A sports facility was needed to cater for a wide range of sporting and recreational activities.
The plan said the help of the community, and partnerships, would be needed to contribute to costs involved with building a sports facility.
The Rodney Local Board’s total operating expenditure was $14.1m for 2017-2018.
It proposed ratepayers’ money be spent on a trial diesel train service from Huapai to Henderson, park and ride stations in KumeuHuapai and Warkworth, and sealing unsealed roads.
This could be done through funds raised from the proposed new rate.
The council’s current transport levy charged $113.85 per household for residential ratepayers each year, however, it would expire in June 2018.
Were the targeted rate introduced next year, it could ‘‘roll over’’ the levy at a cost of between $114-200 per annum for Rodney ratepayers, board deputy chairman Phelan Pirrie said.
Town centre improvements in the Rodney area including Helensville, Kaukapakapa and Coatesville were a priority.
A draft budget of $600,000 to $700,000 had been made for town centre improvements for Kumeu,
‘‘Our play spaces need to be revamped into more active zones fit for young and old.’’
Helensville and Warkworth.
Rodney had three harbours, Mahurangi, Kaipara and Whangateau and the plan said caring for them was ‘‘no small task’’.
The board would allocate $290,000 of it’s $310,000 community environmental funding budget to protecting its harbours and waterways.
The funds would go to riverbank planting and fencing to keep stock out of waterways.