At its Council meeting held on Thursday, 27 June, Rangitīkei District Council adopted its Where’s it @ Rangitīkei Long-term Plan (LTP) for 2024 – 2035, which secures the capital works programme for the next ten years.

Assuming 1 percent growth in rateable properties for the next three years, the average rates increase will be 10.5 percent for the 2024/25 year, followed by 8.9 percent for Year 2, and 9.75 percent for Year 3 of the LTP.

During the consultation period, Rangitīkei residents were asked to consider options on three key issues, the potential opening of Marton Pool all year round, how recycling services would be introduced starting in 2027, and upgrades to the Marton’s CBD.

When it came to the deliberations, Council decided to keep the Marton Pool to its seasonal opening, stagger the introduction of recycling services, and committed to upgrading Marton’s CBD with an approved budget of $2.1 million.

Audit New Zealand have given Rangitīkei District Council’s Long-term Plan an unmodified opinion.

Mayor Andy Watson thanked the 454 residents who submitted on the Long-term Plan, and also passed on thanks to staff for their work in putting the plan together.

“I understand that there are a number of Councils around the country that haven’t been able to adopt their Long-term Plan yet, so I believe it’s a testament to the efforts of our staff that have got us to this point where we were able to adopt the plan prior to 30 June. That doesn’t happen without their work, which was more challenging considering we more than doubled the amount of submissions received in the last Long-term Plan. It’s really pleasing to see Rangitīkei residents taking more interest in what we’re doing here at Council.

“I’d also like to congratulate the team for being able to find savings, which have helped to reduce the average rates rise by 1 percent from what we consulted on back in March and April.”

The Long-term Plan came into effect on Monday, 1 July.

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