If talking about council budgets bores you to death, then listen up – dying of boredom, or anything else, could soon be more expensive in the New Plymouth District.

The cost of a plot for your last resting place could rise from about $3700 to $4200 under the Draft 10-Year Plan and that’s not the only nugget in the proposed $3.3 billion budget that could affect your life.

A low response rate to NPDC’s survey suggests locals are fine with the proposed 12% rates increase from 1 July, and then there are the pool fees which could go up from $5.50 per adult to $6.50 at the Todd Energy Aquatic centre while at the Waitara, Inglewood and Okato pools the proposal suggests a $2 hike to the entry fees for both adults and kids.

“With not long until public feedback closes and a paltry 1,000 responses from residents out of a population of about 86,000, I urge you to speak up on how we should invest ratepayer money,” says New Plymouth District Mayor Neil Holdom.

“I know the hundreds of pages behind the headline figures can be a little dull but it’s important people find the nuggets that interest them and have their say. This is arguably the busiest time of the 3-year term for Councillors as we listen to public feedback and read through each piece, line by line. The draft plan isn’t set in stone and we want to know if we are on the right track, so you can help us make the big calls and improve our decision making.”

The draft 10-Year Plan includes:

· $248 million to Fix the Plumbing and bring our rundown drinking water, wastewater and stormwater pipes up to scratch, plus water meters in every home at a cost of $18 million to make us more water efficient, and another $20 million to improve Waitara’s stormwater system.

· Paying it Forward for our kids with a $40 million investment in a multi-purpose hub, plus $11 million towards its ongoing running costs.

· Greening our Place with about $2 million to start planting 34 hectares of urban forest and $1 million to electrify the NPDC car fleet.

Head to newplymouthnz.com/10years and you can let us know how you feel about any aspect of our draft 10-Year Plan. Fill out the survey and go in the draw to win a share of $2000 worth of grocery vouchers. Feedback closes April 6, 2021.

© Scoop Media