Timaru District Council is saying it wants to work with its neighbours to deliver better water services for everyone, as it takes its local water proposal out for public consultation.

The consultation, which opens today and runs until 6 June outlines the council’s response to the Government’s Local Water Done Well reforms and asks for the public to provide their feedback.

Timaru District Mayor Nigel Bowen said that as a council they had fought hard for communities to have the opportunity to have their say on water reform, so now it was time to tell us what you think.

“This is one of the most important consultations that we’ll undertake as it will have a critical and long-lasting influence on how we deliver one of our core services,” he said.

“Timaru was one of the lead campaigners against the original ‘Three Waters’ plan through Communities 4 Local Democracy, and we’re pleased that through the Local Water Done Well policy that we are able to shape our own ideas for delivering sustainable water services that continue to be locally owned and locally controlled.

“It’s been a long road in enabling you to have a say in this matter, and I’m really pleased that you’re now able to.

“While Timaru District is in a good position as far as water is concerned, we face long-term challenges for affordability and ensuring that water remains a priority in the face of many other competing services. This is one of the reasons that we’re proposing moving to a Council Controlled Water Services Organisation as part of this consultation.

“In this scenario, we create a professionally run council owned organisation solely focused on delivering high quality and affordable water services for urban, rural, commercial and industrial customers. One that is led by a professional board, but still owned by and accountable to the community through your elected council.

“Affordability is one of the key measures of the success of our proposal. Independent modelling has shown that in the long-term water rates will be less expensive if services come from a CCO, and even cheaper if we combine services with our neighbours.

“This efficiency, and the ability to share scarce staffing resources, is the reason that we’re proposing to work with neighbouring councils on a joint company that will provide services across the Central South Island region.

“I feel that together we’re a lot stronger than the sum of our parts.”

The preferred option being proposed by council is joining with neighbouring councils to set up a new water services organisation.

The new joint organisation would own, operate, and maintain water services for all the shareholding councils. We would own part of this organisation with the partner councils. We would also give it direction through a special “Statement of Expectations”, which the councils would develop jointly, and which the organisation would need to give effect to.

Estimates of a three council CCO with Mackenzie and Waimate District Councils would see the amount people pay for water services sit at $1,670 per year by 2034. A standalone unit remaining within council would cost customers around $1,900 a year.

The joint plan also has a number of other advantages including providing specialist oversight, greater capacity and better opportunities for long-term efficiency gains.

“We’re not proposing selling off any assets or removing local control. This isn’t a pathway to privatisation or amalgamation,” said Bowen

“Our proposal is to create a council owned organisation that will be solely focused on benefiting our community and, hopefully, our neighbours as well.

“Our councils have a history of working together well, whether that’s through our existing arrangements on water through the Downlands Rural Scheme to smaller collaborations on waste, roads, liquor licencing and environmental health.”

You can read a hard copy of our consultation document in today’s The Courier, or online at timaru.govt.nz/water

A series of online and in person opportunities to speak about the reforms will be published shortly.

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