Kapiti Coast Roundup

Rates May be Lower than Expected
· Kāpiti residents could benefit from a lower than projected rates rise this year after councillors worked to reduce spending during deliberations on the 2016-17 Annual Plan

· The average rates rise across the district for the 2016-17 year was projected in the FutureKāpiti Long Term Plan (LTP) to be 4.6%

· Council will now go out to public consultation on a Draft Annual Plan with a proposed 4.3% rates increase and will test the community’s support for further cost-saving options that could take it down to 3.7%

· The Council voted to adopt a consultation document, which proposes changes to budgets and work programmes that could achieve the lower rates rise

· Consultation period will run from early April. People will be able to provide feedback through a range of channels, including online submissions, through the consultation document or by emailing their feedback.

· There will also be an opportunity for people to talk to their submissions during the hearings process

Awatea Lakes toxic algae update [IMG_0982]
· Council is continuing to monitor the toxic algae in Awatea Lagoons.

· The rain in the past week has washed away some of the growth, but there are still some sites where the algae is noticeable.

· Council staff assessed the lagoons this morning [Tuesday 22 March].
Parks and Recreation manager Alison Law is reminding people to take care when walking their dogs on surrounding pathways and tracks as when in close contact with this type of blue-green algae (Cyanobacteria Anabaena) it can be fatal towards animals and cause people to be sick.

· For more information please check www.gw.govt.nz/toxic-algae

Earthquake-Prone Buildings
· An assessment of seven council-owned buildings in Kāpiti has identified two in Ōtaki that are potentially earthquake-prone - Ōtaki Civic Theatre and Ōtaki Museum, both in Main Street.

· Being potentially earthquake-prone doesn’t mean a building shouldn’t be occupied – it means a structural engineer has identified a potential problem

· In reality there is no greater risk in using these buildings than there was a week or month ago

· The Council, as the building owner, has an obligation to inform stakeholders and the public as soon as it has information that could potentially relate to safety.

· The Council has commissioned more detailed engineering investigations on both buildings, which will be undertaken within the next month

· In the meantime notices have been placed on the buildings and Council has talked to tenants and regular users

· All told, a district-wide evaluation of about 1500 buildings is to be carried out by the Council over the next five years

Water Charging
· Council received a report from the CRAG (Charging Regime Advisory Group) on water charges

· The overview of CRAG was that the new regime has worked, reinforced by conservation measures

· Council decided to continue with the 50/50 split between fixed and volumetric charges

· This is part of the holistic water solution that Council has been putting in place, which has helped Kāpiti avoid water restrictions during this dry summer

· A further review will be taken towards the end of the 2018/19 financial year to monitor progress, by which time more detailed consumption figures will be available

CRAG’s full report is included in council reports for 17 March.

Ōtaki Gorge Road Clearance Work
· Work will soon begin to clear and stabilise the large slip on the Ōtaki Gorge Road at Blue Bluff

· Geotechnical investigations over the last two months show an estimated 45,000 cubic metres of rock and other debris will need to be removed to allow the hillside to be stabilised

· The work could take two to three months and has an estimated price tag of $500,000, almost half of which will be covered by a contribution from the NZ Transport Agency’s emergency works fund

· Council is confident that as long as the weather and conditions at the site remain on our side we’ll be able to have the work completed and the road reopened before winter.

· It’s clear however this area will remain geologically active and will require ongoing management

· It’s still important that, for their own safety, people stay away from the slip site.

Kite Festival
· The popular drawcard has shown the economic benefits of Council investment in events

· There are several events the Council supports with grants. The independently-organised Māoriland Film Festival, the Coastella international music festival and the Ōtaki Kite Festival are examples

· The analysis of the economic impact of the kite festival are staggeringly positive in terms of return on investment

· An estimated 18,000 people attended the festival, of whom 38% were from outside the Kāpiti Coast district

· A survey of over 500 visitors suggest a return of over $24 for every $1 invested by Council

ends

© Scoop Media