Council assessment coming
The South Waikato District Council is being independently assessed as part of Local Government New Zealand’s (LGNZ) Excellence Programme.
The council is one of 21 foundation councils signed up to the programme aimed at demonstrating and improving the value and services of councils.
That’s being done by measuring indicators across four key areas which includes leadership, finance, service delivery, and community engagement.
Participating councils are assessed by independent experts every three years, given an overall rating on a nine point scale from AAA to C, and the results are then publicised.
The councils will discuss results with their communities and use the assessments to plan improvements through the development of an action plan.
Mayor Jenny Shattock said the council was keen to be involved in the programme.
‘‘There is an expectation that we deliver best practice to our customers, our ratepayers, and we need to perform at the level that’s required,’’ she said.
‘‘We pride ourselves on being transparent and keen to identify potential improvements, which is one of the reasons we were one of the first councils to sign up.’’
External assessors will be on site for a two day visit from Monday.