Fluoridation debate delay
Board asks for latest scientific information before fluoridation of Waipa¯ Water Supply
The March meeting got under way with a host of questions from a member in the public forum relating to council costs as a result of the proposed 14.8 per cent rate rise. This was followed by some robust discussion regarding our two main agenda items for fluoridation and the Local Alcohol Policy.
The first agenda item related to fluoridation of Waipa¯ Water Supply and the following recommendations to Waipa¯ District Council by board member Titchener were approved:
Request council ask for an extension for the fluoridation deadline to be extended to December 31, 2024 as Nelson City Council has done;
For council to request that the director general of health reviews the most up-to-date science and ask an independent panel of experts to review this information as was done in 2006;
For Waipa¯ District Council, in conjunction with other councils, fund a tribunal panel where both sides of the argument can be heard by the public.
The general feeling from members of the Community Board was that Nelson City Council had set the bar and we needed more time for the scientific information that was about to be released from overseas to be taken into consideration before councils were forced to spend money on upgrading their water systems to accommodate fluoridation.
The next item on our agenda was regarding our submission for the Local Alcohol Policy.
We had three questions to feedback on.
We supported capping the number of off-licences in each town, changing trading hours for off-licences, which we only reduced by one hour from 7am to 8am, and in relation to how close they could be to each other, we decided that this could be at the discretion of the licensing committee.
When the draft Local Alcohol Policy is ready we will have another opportunity to have a look and provide feedback on that.
Council has agreed to an Extended Annual Plan with submissions due at the of the month, which gives us a relatively short time.
We will be addressing this at our April meeting along with a submission on fees and charges.
You too can take part and provide submissions on both of these items by going to waipadc.govt.nz/ haveyoursay and you can also complete your submission there online. Alternatively, you can email submissions@waipadc.govt.nz or provide a paper copy at the council office.
My report also highlighted the i-Site’s funding being stopped and asked if board members would put some thought and research into this so we can provide a submission to the EAP outlining our position. As a community service, if you have any views you would like to share with us regarding the i-Site please contact us.
We also are going to write to Waipa¯ Networks on behalf of the community regarding how they notify residents that they will be using drones, as some people were unaware and got a bit of a fright when they flew over.
We were delighted with the Clean Up day that we held last month, with a bunch of people turning out to help pick up rubbish around town. As a result, we are going to do this again in about six months.
A huge thank you to board members and the community who turned out to help and to Roger and Waste Management for their support of this event.
The new playground at the Te Awamutu War Memorial Park is coming along and looks very smart. Hopefully, it will not be too far away from opening.
Our next Community Board meeting is on Wednesday, April 24 at 6pm in the Council Chambers, Bank St.
The public is welcome.