Long Term Plan delays frustrating for mayor
Three months after the initial deadline for adopting its Long Term Plan (LTP), the Mackenzie District Council remains one of only two councils in the country yet to do so.
Mackenzie is yet to even adopt the consultation document allowing for public input on the plan, leaving it trailing the West Coast Regional Council – which has not adopted its LTP, although did release its consultation document at the start of August.
In May, Mackenzie ratepayers were warned they were likely to face higher-than-expected rates bills just before Christmas.
This is because any rates increase will be backdated, as the council cannot increase rates – or make any other changes – until it has adopted the LTP. It now seems likely the backdated increase will not be billed until early next year.
On Tuesday, councillors were informed Audit NZ had not signed off on the consultation documents and supporting information, just hours before an extraordinary council meeting was due to adopt the document.
‘‘[It is] frustrating it has taken so long to get the Long Term Plan across the line. Our team has worked so hard to get this plan done, and it had to be pulled at the last minute because of technicalities,’’ mayor Graham Smith said.
A spokesperson for the council said he had expected sign off by Audit NZ last Friday, but by Tuesday morning had still not received it.
He said once they have Audit NZ sign off, the council would call another extraordinary meeting to adopt the document, which he said was likely to be a ‘‘fiveminute formality’’.
An Audit NZ spokesperson said the latest delay was due to the Mackenzie District Council using outdated information.
The spokesperson confirmed it was the only council not to have adopted its LTP consultation document, and one of only two councils nationwide yet to adopt its LTP, along with the West Coast Regional Council.
The main area where the audit of Mackenzie’s LTP is still underway is in ‘‘assessing planned work for a group of activities and the associated funding assumptions’’, the spokesperson said.
‘‘Our auditor was expecting the council to use the most recent information available to support its forecasts. Correspondence with the council [Tuesday] morning suggested this had not occurred.’’
The spokesperson said Audit NZ understands the council is updating its forecasts.
Smith said he remains hopeful the documents will receive Audit NZ sign off this week.
However, he said, as the council requires 72 hours’ notice to call an extraordinary meeting, it will be unable to reconvene until next Tuesday, October 5, making it difficult to adhere to the previous timeline for adoption of the plan in early December.
All three South Canterbury councils missed the June statutory deadline for LTPs, although only Mackenzie’s remains outstanding.
Mackenzie council chief executive Suzette Van Aswegen initially said delays were due to a ‘‘perfect storm of internal and external factors’’ including May’s flooding, ‘‘years of underfunding’’, and the impact of Covid-19.
Councils must review their LTPs every three years in consultation with the community as a requirement of the Local Government Act.
The document outlines plans for the next 10 years, how those plans will be funded, financial management policies and accountability.