Consultation on the Council’s 2019-20 Annual Plan/Mahere a-Tau begins today and runs until midnight on 8 May. The plan outlines $538 million worth of operational and $228 million worth of capital spending.
The spending priorities are resilience and the environment, housing and community wellbeing, transport, sustainable growth and arts and culture.
“We need to spend money on day-to-day things such as roads, water and rubbish, but we are also looking to the future to ensure Wellington is still a great place to live decades from now,” says Mayor Justin Lester.
Wellington City’s population is predicted to increase by up to 80,000 to 280,000 by 2043.
“The city is growing and we need to be able to cope with that while also strengthening the city to cope with earthquakes and the increasing threat of climate change.”
The Council is proposing an average rates increase of 3.9 percent. To help reduce any increase in rates, the Council is proposing a number of increases to user-pays charges, such as parking, landfill fees, alcohol licenses, sports ground fees, marina fees and dog licenses.
For the first time, the Council will consult on the Annual Plan through the letstalk.wellington.govt.nz website. Submitters can see what is planned for their neighbourhood and comment via the map’s drop pin.
On 30 April (between 6pm and 7.30pm) there’ll be a Virtual Forum via the Council’s Facebook page, where Council staff will be available to answer any Annual Plan questions.
Residents can also submit via email (busannualplan@wcc.govt.nz) or post:
Annual Plan Team
Wellington City Council
PO Box 2199
Wellington 6140
Annual Plan timeline:
8 April – consultation opens
30 April – Virtual Forum
8 May – consultation closes
21-23 May – oral hearings/forums
3 June – final draft goes to Annual Plan Committee
26 June – Annual Plan adopted
26 July – Annual Plan printed.