Stratford District Council’s proposed activity for the Long Term Plan 2021-2031 (LTP), outlined in its consultation document and supporting information was adopted for public consultation at an extraordinary meeting on Tuesday 23 March 2021.

The consultation document identifies four key issues facing the district going forward, focusing on economic development, waste minimisation, water conservation and a residential subdivision.

As the proposed plan stands, Stratford district ratepayers are looking at an overall rates increase of 4.25% for the 2021/22 financial year with an average rates increase of 4.69% for the 10 years covered by the LTP.

Council’s preferred options for the key issues, alongside its expenditure proposals and key infrastructure projects over the next 10 years are now up for discussion as elected members seek feedback from residents over the next month.

District Mayor, Neil Volzke says, “The draft LTP works hard to balance the needs, wants and opportunities for the district over the coming ten years.”

“Our ratepayers are front of mind when planning future activity and we’ve tried to maximise investment from other external sources to minimise cost of services and amenities to ratepayers in this plan,” he says.

“Our consultation document is designed to enable our community to assess our expenditure proposals and have a say on whether they feel we have it right.”

“We think Stratford has a good vibe at the moment, with significant amounts of new work under way, creating employment opportunities and improving our town and district. We want to keep this momentum going, but are well aware of the need to not over-burden our ratepayers.”

“We believe this LTP meets those demands, but we want to know what the people of Stratford district think.”

“It’s your viewpoints and concerns that elected members value most, so please take this opportunity to have your say and help shape the future of your district,” says Mayor Volzke.

Residents are invited to attend one of the three public meetings being held throughout April, and are encouraged to contact elected members or Council’s Service Centre should they have any questions when reviewing the consultation document.

The information contained in the consultation document comes from a range of other detailed documents, which can be viewed on Council’s website stratford.govt.nz, at Council’s Service Centre on Miranda Street, or at the Library and i-SITE in Prospero Place.

Submissions on the LTP are open until Sunday 2 May 2021.

Public Meetings

· Tuesday 13 April 3.00pm Whangamomona Hall

· Thursday 22 April 7.00pm War Memorial Centre

· Tuesday 27 April 7.00pm Whakaahurangi Marae

Making a submission is easy!

Online

The easiest way to let us know what you think is to complete our online submission form. Complete the submission form online by visiting our website at stratford.govt.nz/longtermplan. You can also provide comments by email: submissions@stratford.govt.nz

In writing

Fill in the submission form at the back of the Consultation Document. Post your completed submission form to the Council, or drop it to one of our offices. Additional forms are available from the Library and i-SITE, Council’s Service Centre on Miranda Street and on our website stratford.govt.nz/longtermplan

In person

You can present your thoughts to the Council by speaking to your submission in person. If you’d like to do this, put in a submission outlining the key points you’ll refer to. On your submission form, make sure you select the option to speak to your submission.

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