At an extraordinary meeting this week, Stratford District Council adopted the Annual Plan 2022-23, which comes into effect today, 1 July 2022.

Council’s annual plan outlines what will be spent on projects and day-to-day services over the next financial year and how they’ll be paid for.

Key changes in the annual plan that differ from what was in the Long Term Plan 2021-31 include:

• Roading Targeted Rate, Forestry Differential - Each year, Council spends a portion of the roading budget on repairing unsealed roads damaged due to the intensive use of heavy vehicles associated with the forestry industry. Council has agreed to introduce a roading targeted rate differential which will mean that a fixed portion ($100,000) of the total roading rate requirement proposed for 2022/23 of $3,094,900 is collected from ratepayers who own property that is used for the purpose of forestry, from planting to harvesting.
• The Revenue and Financing Policy was reviewed and updated to include the above differential. It was also amended for administrative purposes to allow for rates smoothing to occur in years of high expected rates increases, by either using surpluses from previous years, or using targeted rates reserves.
• The Rates Remission Policy was reviewed and updated with changes to the remissions on water leaks and targeted rates where a fire has made the property uninhabitable to a maximum of two years.
• Fees and Charges - Council has undertaken a review of the annual fees and charges to take into account changing environmental and economic factors, and assumptions previously made at the time the LTP was adopted. This includes key changes across Waste Management, Aerodrome, Building Services, Swimming Pool and Pensioner Housing.

The confirmed overall rates increase for 2022/23 is 6.41%. This is slightly higher than the 6.21% originally proposed in the Long Term Plan 2021–31.

Mayor Volzke says, “Elected members and Council staff have worked hard to find ways to continue delivering services as promised in the LTP without passing on any additional cost burdens.”

“Since the LTP was adopted in 2021, we’ve needed to react to a number of external factors, including but not limited to COVID-19, inflation and supply chain issues,” he says. “We’re mindful of our residents being at the receiving end of these cost pressures across their daily lives and we’ve done our best to avoid adding to that.”

The year ahead has some exciting milestones to look forward to, including the completion of the new Aquatic Centre on Portia Street. “Prior to Tuesday’s meeting, elected members were given a tour of the construction site and the new aquatic centre is looking great,” says Mayor Volzke. “Without a doubt our community is going to love this new pool complex. We can’t wait to see the first people jump in later this year. It has been a huge project and we will end up with a high-quality asset that will serve the community well for many decades to come.”

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