Horowhenua District Council has adopted the Annual Plan and Fees and Charges for 2022/23.

Highlighting services and projects we plan to deliver in the 2022/23 financial year, the Annual Plan sets out the budget, rates, and key projects for the year.

The 2022/23 Annual Plan closely follows what was outlined in Year 2 of the Long Term Plan (LTP). A record number of people had their say during consultation on the LTP, with 564 formal submissions received. It was decided in February that we would not consult on this Annual Plan.

Mayor Bernie Wanden says “We valued the feedback from our community as we developed the LTP. We heard how important it was to you to have quality infrastructure, a resilient water supply and ensure growth is offset by those moving to our district. As Horowhenua continues to experience unprecedented growth, one of our key priorities remains investing in the core infrastructure – whether that is building it new, upgrading, or improving the maintenance of the service. We remain committed to that.”

Chief Executive Monique Davidson says “Council is prioritising projects to improve infrastructure and optimise development opportunities within our district without compromising on wellbeing initiatives that are crucial to supporting a thriving community.”

Rates help run and maintain services and facilities we enjoy in the community. The average rates increase for the year is 7.0%; lower than the LTP forecast of 7.4%. Actual increases depend on where in Horowhenua you live and the type of property you own.

Increased costs for the landfill, including lost revenue and waste transport costs had an impact on rates, with $450,000 to be funded through rates. However, growth and the deferred delivery of our capital programme helped keep rates down, and there are around 350 more rateable properties in Horowhenua to spread costs across.

Last year some projects were affected by COVID-19, workforce and supply chain issues, but we remain focused on delivering promised projects. We need to realign capital spending and timelines in the LTP for 2023/24 by amending the LTP. We will be consulting with the community about that over the next year.

Fees and charges for 2022/23 have also been adopted. There are no increases to planning or building consent fees. Our overall principle is to limit fee increases to the inflation guides applied in the LTP (2%-3.2%).

The full 2022/23 Annual Plan document will be made available on our website horowhenua.govt.nz, and paper copies can be read at Te Takeretanga o Kura-hau-pō, Te Awahou Nieuwe Stroom, the Civic Building or Shannon Library from 22 July.

© Scoop Media