Consultation is now open on the draft Long-term Plan 2024-34 and the council is inviting the Taupō District community to have its say.

Mayor David Trewavas says the council makes a new Long-term Plan every three years and it is one of the best opportunities to work with the community on deciding what the future might look like.

“Council staff and elected members have been working hard during the last year to come up with a plan that we think best balances the needs of the district with managing the rates rise.

“Just like your household budget, ours is under pressure too. The effects of the prolonged period of inflation and subsequent interest rate rises, looking after community facilities, and paying for things like insurance mean that the services our community relies on us for are costing more than ever.”

In the Long-term Plan consultation document, which is now live, council has set out how it intends to continue building a district that allows people to connect with each other and with this beautiful place, to care for the environment and provide everyone with an opportunity to contribute.

“You’ll see we’ve had to make some hard calls on what to deliver in the next 10 years,” Mr Trewavas says.

“We have thought carefully about the challenges we face and agreed we must prioritise our core services - providing safe drinking water, protecting our environment, and looking after our infrastructure so our children and their children aren’t unnecessarily burdened in the future.

“No one likes large rates increases, so we are proposing delaying some projects the community has asked for. Even then, cost increases mean rates will have to rise just to keep our essential services operating.”

In this Long-term Plan consultation, council is asking for your help with some key decisions:

• Should council focus most of its effort and money on the essentials?
• How should it deal with Taupō’s wastewater on the northern side of the Waikato River, and wastewater in Tūrangi?
• Bag it or bin it? What’s the future of kerbside rubbish and recycling collection in the Taupō District?
• Should council use land it owns to help ease the district’s housing crisis?

For more information and to have your say on the draft Long-term Plan 2024-34, go to www.taupo.govt.nz/haveyoursay. The exact rates rise for each household will vary depending on location and property value. The website has a calculator which lets you put in your address and see how the proposed plan will affect your rates.

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