Ruapehu annual plan in brief

Ruapehu Bulletin, Volume 12, Issue 581, 11 April 1995, Page 6

Ruapehu annual plan in brief

The total rate revenue required by the Ruapehu District Council for the next financial year amounts to approximately $8,980,000, up 6.1 per cent (just over $0.5 million) from last year. The council has maintained the Uniform Annual General Charge at $280 per property, generating • $1,978,760. The general rate revenue, under the draft annual plan, would be approximately $3.49 million. Because the council has decided on a change to one general rate across the district, northern ratepayers face an increase in their general rate from last year's 0.8253 to 0.92 cents in the dollar. The southern ratepayers face a reduction in their general rate from 0.9805 to 0.92 cents in the dollar. The amount required for road works has increased from $2.8 million to $2.99 million. The revenue needed for road maintenance in the north has increased 10.56 per cent from $1,556,300 to $1,720,600 while the South's road maintenance revenue drops from $754,800 to $738,000, a drop of$ 16,800. Roads improvements revenue goes up from $281,000 in the north to $341,000, while in the south it goes up from $112,500 to $147,000. The Waiouru separate ward rate is to gather $51,750, while the Waimarino rate will reap $265,500 and the National Park ward rate will gather $63,000 . These amounts cover most of the works recommended by the respecti ve community boards. Both the Taumarunui and Ohura wards face a reduction in what they asked for, to $130,500 and $79,875 respectively. The district promotion rate increases from 0.69 to 0.96 cents in the dollar, due to the dollar value of promotions rateable land decreasing from $15.5 million to $ 1 1 .2 million. This was due to Winstone Pulp International separating its mill property from the Karioi forest property, with the forest property not liable for the promotion rate. Governance The cost of Governance (previously labelled 'Democracy') goes up by $43,000 or 4.74 per cent. This increase is partly due to the election this year (costing $34,000) with the rest due to the provision of $25,000 for "community consultation". These two items are partly offset by savings elsewhere. The mayor' s office sees a $ 1 0,000 (7.7 per cent) reduction in budget, due to a reduction in support services, artd the budget for community publications drops by $27,000 (23.7 per cent) due to the absorption of tasks by existing staff rather than the planned employment of an extra part-time person Community Affairs Under the heading of Community Affairs, falls district grants, down by $16,000 because the "delivery of district grants" has been shifted to the Governance budget. The district grants are made up of $5000 for extraordinary grants (applications of an urgent nature); $5000 for water and sewerage charges for community organisations; $20,000 for Mainstreet Taumarunui; $24,000 for Winning Waimarino Mainstreet; and $7000 for contribu-

tions to local halls; $100 for the Ohakune Garden Club; $500 for the Ohakune Art Awards; $ 1 500 for Christmas festivals. Community Affairs also includes $28,000 for the Safer Community Council (Taumarunui) up from $24,000 last year. Under community consultation ($148,000 — the same as the 1994-95 budget) falls the preparation of the annual plan, the development of a strategic plan and the "requirement to comply with the statutory obligations to prepare and deliver an annual report". Also under this heading is $10,000 for a "community health advocate" function (Taumarunui). A new item under this heading is the provision of $25,000 for the appointment of a sports coordinator. Marketing District marketing expenditure i s up by $ 1 03 ,000 with the addition of the winter marketing campaign but this is offset by $93,000 in revenue from contributors. Contributions include $1 8,000 to the Taumarunui Development Incorporation and $ 1 1 ,000 to the Raetihi Information Centre. Regulation The budget for the council' s regulation activities sees a reduction in expenditure of $17,000 to $966,000 but also a decrease in user fees and charges, leading to an increased rate requirement of $63 ,000. Thi s i s mainly due to a change in policy for the funding of dog control whereby rates will subsidise fees. Dog registration fees are set at $90 for those under six-weekly control, $33 for movement control (rural) $65 for movement control (urban), and $35 for selected owner. All are down in price except the urban dog fee. Many of the fees and charges under this heading are set by statute and the council is not allowed to set its own fees to recover what it sees as the full cost of providing the services, the council was told. New in the regulation budget is the provision of parking and traffic control, following "problems brought about by illegal and ill-considered parking habits adopted by a large influx of visitors .and local people alike". The stock ranging budget is up $17,000 (42 per cent) on last year's figure. Building inspection services will increase in spending due to the employment ofan extra building control officer. General licensing expenditure is set at 268 per cent of last year's budget but this is offset by an increase in revenue of $374 per cent. Resource Management activities see a $74,000 (24 per cent) drop in expenditure, with a $23,000 reduction in revenue, leaving a net result of a $5 1 ,000 reduction in the input required from rates. District drainage Ohakune' s budget for drainage work is up by $62,000 (55 per cent), mainly due to increased interest payments for funding capital works on the sewage treatment plant and sewerage system. Raetihi' s sewerage budget is $55,000, down by

6.8 per cent. This is due to decreases in insurance, signage and the development of the strategic plan. An increase in interest payments, to fund upgrading of the treatment and reticulation systems, is covered. Rangataua' s budget is also down, by $7000 or 21 per cent, due to a drop from $9000 to $2000 for development of a strategic plan. The total operating expenditure for 1996-97 and 1997-98 is expected to drop by a further $2000. Waiouru's budget is up $2000 or 8.7 per cent, due to an increase in the contract price for maintenance. Water supplies National Park' s water supply budgeted expenditure is up by $9000, to $65,000, mainly due to the extra bacteriological testing required under the 1995 drinking water standards. Ohakune' s water budget is up by $54,000 to $280,000. Day works provision for the plant is up by $25 ,000 to $90,000, with an increase of $ 1 5 ,000 allowed for reticulation interest payments, and $36,000 more for engineering fees and activity overheads due to difficulties fixing the operation of the plant. Raetihi 's water supply will cost $61,000, $7000 more than last year. Operating the reticulation system will cost $4000 more due to a higher contract price, increased insurance and a backflow prevention investigation, and pipe inspections. $1000 more is to be spent on the treatment plant to cover increased testing, and $1000 more is set aside for engineering fees. Refuse Rubbish disposal across the district will cost . $627,000, up from $504,000 from last year. Rubbish collection is up from $66,000 to $77,000, and rubbish bags will cost $45,000, up from $20,000. Maintenance of the National Park transfer station will cost $13,000, down 23 per cent. Ohakune dump will cost. 73 per cent more to maintain, now $48,000. The $18,000 extra is for environmental monitoring necessary for Resource Management Act Consents. Raetihi 's dump will cost 37 per cent more, now $38,000, the increase also due to extra monitoring required. , Transfer stations at Karioi, Ruatiti, Pipiriki and Orautoha will cost $5000 each, representing increases. for all. Public consultation regarding landfill improvements will cost $20,000, which is 25 per cent of the 1994-95 budget. A new item is headed "after care of landfills", where 1 0 per cent of the annual landfill budget will be set aside for "post closure monitoring and mitigation works". This fund is to start in 1996-97. Waste minimisation studies sees its budget reduce from $30,000 to $5000. Parks and reserves Overall, parks and reserves' budgeted expenditure is up $32,000 to $515,000, with the increase generally due to higher engineering costs.

Ohakune' s toilet cleaning contraGt is up by | $3400, water consumption at the Big Carrot gar- : den is down by $2500, and $13,280 is allowed for ' the council taking over the maintenance of the : Ohakune Junction Railway Station toilets. Raetihi's mowing contract price is down lead- i ing to an overall reduction for the town's reserves | expenditure of $7000. Waiouru's costs are to increase by $2000, and ; Rangataua and Horopito' s costs will increase by $3500, mainly due to higher mowing contract J prices. A new activity is the maintenance of the Tangi- N wai toilets. Swimming pools will cost $44,000 more, re- 5 flecting higher pool supervision levels. Cemeteries will cost $6000 less, due to cheaper mowing. Forestry and employment A plan to use subsidised labour for a forestry 1 programme on unused council land will cost $5000. Other employment projects relate to the northern wards. Libraries will cost $269,000, up from $240,000 last year, due to the cost of operating a new computer library management system. Community Welfare Pensioner housing costs rise by$ 1 000; community housing drops from $46,000 to $39,000; rental housing drops from $55,000 to $27,000; civil j defence rises $2000-to $61,000; rural fire protec- ; tion remains the same at $34,000. The total net cost of the activity is $264,000, up from $230,000, with increases in cost of capital. ; District agencies The total cost of agencies is likely to drop from ] $9000 to $4000, with the dropping of the road user 5 licensing agency at Raetihi. Capital expenditure Under the heading of capital expenditure falls an J amount of $ 1 1 2,000 for corporate support services 1 computer equipment. This amount would fund the *; upgrading of the council' s Altos 15,000 central : processing unit. The 1 8-month old system is "half- 1 way through its planned useful life". The work is j necessary due to additional users and more soft- ;; ware applications added, according to council chief executi ve Cliff Houston. Also included are exten- ? sions to the computer communications system and replacement of peripheral devices (printers and ? terminals). 1 Computer software worth $47,000 is budgeted for, up from $43,000 last year. A special computer project, worth $65,000 this v year, is the Geographical Information System Project. The work this year would cover the cap- J ture, entering and plotting of drainage and water , supply information. Another, worth $16,000, in- f volves the linking of monitoring systems of water and sewerage plants. Office furniture, fittings and equipment has $50,000 set aside, as has $40,000 for the upgrading of a portion of the council' s vehicle fleet.