Still time to make submissions for annual plan
‘‘CONSULTATION fatigue’’ could be the reason for lowerthanusual interest in the Waitaki District Council’s annual plan this year, Mayor Gary Kircher says.
When the consultation period closed on Wednesday, the council had received 52 submissions, and 15 requests to speak at the hearing for 202223 annual plan feedback on May 17.
The council plan proposes a 7.47% rates increase, and the most common issues people wanted to talk to the council about included roading and footpaths, Three Waters, wellbeing, economic development, Covid19, government reforms and climate change.
While there were fewer submissions to the annual plan than might have been expected, councils across the country were reporting similar trends, Mr Kircher said.
‘‘I think . . . people are actually getting a bit of consultation fatigue,’’ he said.
‘‘There’s so much going on, and we’re out there consulting with the community on so many things, it’s difficult to keep up — and we’re also, as councils, we’re probably feeling the same thing with all the things that we’re needing to make submissions on with central government.’’
The Waitaki District Council’s annual plan submission process was running alongside its Forrester Heights consultation, which closes on May 16. The council has given the community three options to consider for the future of the 2.51ha of land overlooking Oamaru Harbour — turning all or some of it into a reserve; selling some or all of it and using the funds to benefit the community; or leaving it as is for now.
Communications specialist Lisa Scott said the council had so far received 734 pieces of feedback — 618 forms and responses to the online survey, and 166 letters and emails. Thirty people had indicated they would like to speak to their submissions at the council hearing, which had been pencilled in for May 31.
‘‘On Forrester Heights, obviously there’s a lot of feedback on that. It’s something a lot of people are passionate about,’’ Mr Kircher said.
He encouraged anyone who had not yet made a submission to do so before consultation closed on May 16.
The draft district plan would be the next consultation process for the council and the community, Mr Kircher said.