From the Acting Mayor

By Melissa Sadler-Futter

It’s great to be able to connect with you through The Star as your Acting Mayor again this month, during Martin’s continued leave of absence. 

If we haven’t had the opportunity to meet yet, “hi, I am Melissa”, I am normally the Deputy Mayor and I live in Featherston with my family. I’m here to address any questions or concerns you may have. Don’t hesitate to reach out to me at melissa.sadlerfutter@swdc.govt.nz.

I have thoroughly enjoyed the opportunity to meet and chat with a number of you during April at community workshops, the Hinekura Road opening, community meetings in Ngawi and Tora/Tuturumui as well as councillor drop-in sessions bright and early at Kitcheners. It is these opportunities for conversation with the community that make the work of councillors more accessible, meaningful and informed. Thank you for taking the time to share your knowledge and feedback with us.

This month I am keen to focus on one important topic – consultation for the Enhanced Annual Plan that is currently open until May 5. 

We are inviting our community to provide feedback to the proposals which are included in the document. You do not need to be a local government expert or to have taken part in council consultation before, you simply need to care about your community and I know we all do!

I know councils spend a lot of time talking about plans – Combined District Plan, Spatial Plan, Long Term Plan, Annual Plan and now an Enhanced Annual Plan but what is it all about and what does it really mean? 

Let me break it down for you. The Enhanced Annual Plan is basically our roadmap for the upcoming financial year. It lays out where we’re planning to invest money in various council services and activities. 

Usually, this would be the time for the Long Term Plan (LTP) but due to some changes in government rules, we’re focusing on a one-year plan to give our community more clarity and confidence, especially with all the ongoing discussions about water reform and other big changes, before committing to a LTP next year.

The purpose of the Enhanced Annual Plan consultation is twofold: to set out the proposed budget for the next year; and to hear what you think about our ideas and anything else that is important to you. 

The consultation document proposes a 15.3% total rates increase for the 2024-25 financial year. This considers high levels of inflation, interest, and insurance costs, along with continued increased core operational investment in roading and maintaining current levels of water investment.

We aren’t making decisions in a vacuum though; we want to hear from you to help us shape the way forward. We have boiled the consultation concepts down to three big questions:

– How much should we spend on operating and maintaining our water services?

– How should we charge for water use?

– How should we pay for the replacement of our assets?

No decisions have been made yet and that is why it is so vital that we have as many people from across the district take part in this process as possible. I cannot stress how important it is to me that we hear from you.

You can find the consultation document, Frequently Asked Questions and submission document online at https://swdc.govt.nz/enhanced-annual-plan/

You can also collect a copy from our local libraries or the SWDC Martinborough office.

If you have any questions about the consultation document, the included questions, or consultation process these can be sent to submissions@swdc.govt.nz

And of course whether you have questions, suggestions, or simply want to learn more, your dedicated Martinborough councillors and community board members will be available to assist.

Your voice matters – let’s hear it loud and clear!