We're seeking your feedback on four key areas of focus.

Do you think our draft Annual Plan has captured the post-cyclone priorities of our district and balanced risk against our responsibilities to the community? Please complete our survey and tell us what you think about our proposed changes. There is opportunity for additional comment at the end.
 
The survey closes on 2 June 2023.
 
This survey is open to all Central Hawke's Bay District residents / ratepayers. By taking part, you agree to your personal information within the meaning of the Privacy Act 2020 being made available to Council if you choose to provide it. You have the right to access and change this information. 
Repairing our roads

Council’s budget assumption is that roading repairs will cost $115m and take three years to complete, and that the Council share of the cost of these repairs will be 5%. This has increased the roading budget required by $2.2m for the 2023/24 financial year. Council is planning to fund $1.1m through debt, $0.75m through the use of roading reserves (bridge replacement and emergency events funds), $0.2m repurposed rates set aside for sealing of gravel roads across the district, and the balance of $0.15m through additional rates.

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* 1. Do you agree with spreading this roading recovery over three years? Should Council go faster (requiring more rate funding), go slower (reducing the rate impact), or does this seem about right?

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* 2. Do you agree with the use of debt for roading, remembering this will need to be repaid in future years and historically this is an activity Council hasn’t used loan funding for?

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* 3. Are you happy to exhaust existing reserve funds (bridge replacements and emergency events funds) to minimise the rating impact, acknowledging this doesn’t leave any reserves for the next weather event?

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* 4. Are you happy for the Council to divert the $200k pa set aside for sealing of gravel roads to be used for repairing Cyclone damage for the next 3 years, pausing the existing program?

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* 5. Do you have any additional comments on repairing our roads?

Reassessing our capital investment programme

Council has amended its capital investment programme and proposes slowing down some work while prioritising wastewater projects to meet compliance requirements. The projects we propose slowing down are the reservoir replacements and building a second water supply for Waipukurau, Waipawa and Otane drinking water networks. This approach is being proposed to remain under debt ceilings, and to reduce future loan servicing costs given the high interest rates prevalent at present.

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* 6. Do you agree with this approach to our capital investment programme?

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* 7. Are you willing to accept the delaying of key resilience infrastructure programmes, such as reservoir replacements and second water supplies, in order to keep debt and finance costs low?

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* 8. Do you have any additional comments on reassessing our capital investment programme?

Delaying wheelie bins

We have decided to retain the current rubbish bag service for a further year rather than replace it with kerbside wheelie bins as proposed in this year of the Long Term Plan 2021 -2031. This is to reduce cost pressures on targeted ratepayers and to give Council some time to understand potential government solid waste reforms being signalled such as the standardisation of recycling services across New Zealand and the introduction of food waste service.

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* 9. Are you happy to retain rubbish bags for another year if it reduces the required rate increase by $320,000 this year?

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* 10. Do you have any additional comments on delaying wheelie bins?

Centralines Pool complex

We recommend funding $1.5m of critical replacement work for the Centralines Pool complex. The impact of this debt would not be reflected in rates until 2024/25. Originally this work was scheduled in the Long Term Plan for a later year, but has now been determined as urgent.

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* 11. Are you happy for Council to co-fund critical replacement of Centralines Pool infrastructure?

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* 12. Does it make sense to bring this work forward and be done now, rather than risk closure of facility?

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* 13. Is loan funding the most appropriate way to fund this work?

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* 14. Do you have any additional comment you'd like to make on the Centralines Pool complex?

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* 15. Do you have any additional general comments on Council's proposed Annual Plan 2023-24?

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* 16. Please give us your contact details (optional).

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