Wednesday 11 May

A whopping 892 ratepayers have taken the chance to have their say on where their money goes and how the land, air, water and transport in their region will be managed in the year ahead.

Submissions on Horizons Regional Council’s draft annual plan closed last Friday, with the council receiving the most submissions it’s ever had.

Horizons chairman Bruce Gordon says the Animal Health Board’s (AHB) possum control programme has received the most feedback, with more than 670 submissions made on it.

For the past 20 years Horizons has collected a levy on behalf of the AHB possum control programme, but with parts of the region now completely disease-free Horizons signaled 2010 would be the last year it would contribute to the scheme.

‘’Strong feedback from the rural community last year indicted it wanted Horizons to continue to collect money on behalf of AHB so we are again proposing to contribute to the Tb programme for another year to the value of $650,000,’’ Mr Gordon says.

This would be paid for through a targeted levy on properties over four hectares.

Of the submissions made on AHB, 95 per cent are in support of the council continuing to help fund the programme, but to the 2010 amount of $750,000.

The other talking point this year has been the council’s proposal to no longer use its environmental education truck, the Green RIG. More than 90 submissions have been made on this, 75 per cent opposing the cut to the RIG.

A proposal to introduce a targeted rate for Waitarere Beach residents to get rid of coastal-weed Wattle received 79 submissions, with submitters split almost evenly in their support.

More than 80 submitters want to speak to their submissions before the council, with these meetings running in Ohakune on the morning of May 23, Wanganui that afternoon, and in Palmerston North on May 25 and 26.

ENDS

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