Gisborne District Council’s 2008/2009 Annual report is now publically available from the Council’s website, Customer Service Centres and the HB Williams Library. The new look report, which was adopted by Council at the end of October, reports on Council’s performance over the last 12 months.

In an effort to ensure these results are available to all ratepayers a brochure outlining key results was included in this month’s rates demand. “We wanted to change from a statutory compliance chore to telling a story. This is a story of success, challenges and failure that the community can relate to. We want to show that what the council delivers does touch peoples lives everyday and hopefully provides good value for their rates investment,” says chief executive Lindsay McKenzie.

The changes to the report include emphasising Council’s highlights and results. The main financial analysis has been moved to the back of the document. Clearer graphs are included to show how the $42M collected in rates was spent and what Council’s debt levels are.

According to chief financial officer Mike Drummond a lot of effort has gone into making the financial reports more understandable by including more explanatory notes. “Previous reports, while meeting minimum statutory requirements were poorly presented and didn’t clearly outline what we had achieved or not achieved over the last year. We have looked at the best examples of Annual Reports from other councils and made a lot of changes. This year’s report has focussed on how Council performed and provides an analysis of the major factors that influenced that performance.”

The document is substantial at 163 pages. A more accessible 16 page summary has also been produced. This focuses on the key points of interest for the past year including what council is doing to protect the district’s environment and keep residents safe, work in the townships, improvements to the district’s outdoor spaces and facilities and what council is doing to keep future rate increases to a minimum.

The documents are available free to download at http://http://www.gdc.co.nz . CDs with the information or printed copies are available from the HB Williams Library or Council Customer Services in Fitzherbert Street or Te Puia Springs.

ENDS

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