You can make general comments about the draft 2009-2019 Community Plan here.
Read the Council Activities section in the Draft 2009-2019 Community Plan.
You can make general comments about the draft 2009-2019 Community Plan here.
Read the Council Activities section in the Draft 2009-2019 Community Plan.
Will all the Submissions on the LTCCP become available on line in due course ?
Hi Joe,
Hard copies of all the submissions will be available at the Civic Centre reception and district libraries.
We’ve received around 450 submissions, in a wide range of formats. The majority are hand written and some are very lengthy, so making them available online would be a very time-consuming process.
As the forum is about to close, please email me at mayburyn@npdc.govt.nz) or call me on 06-759 6103 if you’d like to discuss this further.
Thanks
Nick Maybury
Manager Communications
NPDC
Agree good forum but like all other input only any good if Council will listen. No indication to date that they have any serious intention to do so.
Good afternoon from a sunny New Plymouth!
This is a reminder that there are just two weeks left for people to make formal submissions on the Draft Community Plan.
Click the link below if you’d like to add to the 100 submissions we’ve already received.
http://www.newplymouthnz.com/forms/Draft20092019CommunityPlan.aspx (best to right click and open in a new window)
Or if you’d prefer to debate and ask questions about the draft plan then keep posting here!
Cheers and have a great weekend!
Nick
Its great that we have three events for the upcoming rugby world cup. what provisions are in the community plan to be prepared for such an event?
Hi James,
Let me look into that. Will get back to you asap.
Nick Maybury
Manager Communications
NPDC
Hi James,
Yes, we’re also delighted to have secured the three games.
Over the next financial year we will be preparing Yarrow Stadium to meet the standards required for world cup matches. This involves improving health and safety conditions for hosting large crowds at the stadium and increasing stadium capacity from around 17,000 to more than 25,000 through redevelopment of the northern embankment and installation of shell seats in the south terraces.
We will also need to provide facilities for a large media contingent, IT and power infrastructure to support modern international standard broadcast and media requirements, improved facilities for coaches, and better crowd management and security systems for major events.
The estimated cost of these works is $1.7 million. The Yarrow Stadium premier field turf is also due for renewal and the Parks team will be doing that after this year’s rugby season.
We will be working with Venture Taranaki on the marketing campaign around these events.
Hosting Ireland and Wales in Taranaki will provide a tremendous opportunity to showcase the district and region, with an influx of visitors expected and a huge television viewing audience for the games.
Thanks
Paul Nisbet
Manager Venues and Rugby World Cup
NPDC
Is the council planning to provide some good events for youth? How are events planned for and funded?
Thank You
Hi Stacy,
Currently we manage a number of events which cater to the youth market in some way. These are the TSB Bank Festival of Lights, Waitangi Day, Community Fireworks, Bike Wise events and Youth Week.
Looking forward, we are in the early stages of developing an events strategy to identify the types of events we want in New Plymouth and how we intend to make them happen.
How are events planned? We have events which we deliver, i.e. those I’ve mentioned above, and there are also national events that we get alongside, such as Bike Wise Month and the events under that umbrella.
In addition to this, if we think there’s a need to hold a particular type of event, then we’ll seek funding from an external partner/sponsor. An example of this is the annual community fireworks event, a very popular event that’s been made possible by the sponsorship of TSB Bank.
The majority of events are funded through corporate sponsorship or funding providers. The TSB Bank Festival of Lights however is funded partly through rates and partly through sponsorship.
In addition there is a Major Events Fund, which is funded by NPDC and administered by Venture Taranaki.
This fund is used for major events that meet its criteria, such as WOMAD, the ITU Triathlon and concerts at the TSB Bowl of Brooklands.
Thanks
Melissa Devine-Collins
Acting Manager Events
NPDC
Hey, I haven’t received a summary booklet. Have these been delivered in the Inglewood area?
They should have been delivered throughout the district Mike.
We’ll check with the distribution company.
Nick
Hi Nick, how’s progress on this?
Hi Mike,
Sorry for taking so long to get back to you.
As far as we’re aware the summaries have been delivered in Inglewood. We held a Community Plan meeting there yesterday and those who came along had all received their summary.
However, we have heard from a few people around the district who have yet to receive their summary, and the most likely explanation is that they either have ‘no junk mail’ stickers on their mailboxes (and therefore the delivery person has left them out) or that the summary has been delivered but it’s been folded up with other ‘junk’ mail and has been inadvertently put in the rubbish.
Anyway, you obviously haven’t had your summary Mike so we’d be happy to mail you one out (just flick me an email to mayburyn@npdc.govt.nz with your postal address) or you can read it online (either on regular html webpages or as a colour PDF) at the following link – http://www.newplymouthnz.com/CouncilDocuments/PlansAndStrategies/CommunityPlan2009-2019/SummaryDocument.htm
Hope this helps and sorry for the inconvenience Mike.
Thanks
Nick
Thanks for the site – it’s really useful to have a site where everyone can have an input into the plans the council have. Hopefully what we say will be listened to and actually make a difference!
Good on the council for setting up this avenue for communication. Saves having to write to the paper!
Thanks Pete. The more people who use this forum the better!
Nick Maybury
Manager Communications
NPDC
Mike,
Here is a link to the Procurement Policy.
http://www.newplymouthnz.com/CouncilDocuments/Policies/ProcurementPolicy.htm
Thanks
Nick
Nick,
Are you able to publish in a short table the Percentage increase in Total Rates Revenue from year to year in the draft plan – i.e. this year to next, next to the year after, etc.
Also, for each year, show the level of the 30% rating cap?
thanks
Hi Mike,
You’ll find this table useful –
http://www.newplymouthnz.com/LtccpTables/popup8-2.htm (best to right-click and open it in a new window).
The overall rates requirement for each year of the plan can be found on the bottom line of the table.
With regard to the 30 per cent uniform charge limit you refer to – for other forum users, this is the proportion of its total rates revenue a council is allowed to collect through uniform charges, excluding those for water and sewerage.
If the draft plan is adopted, we will sit at about 25 per cent for the first year of the plan and we expect this percentage to reduce over the full 10 years.
Thanks
Nick
Nick,
Many thanks. So if I understand that table correctly, total rates revenue is planned to go up 9.83% next year from 52.47m to 57.63m, and 9.18% the year after etc?
On the same table is the line labelled ‘External Operating Costs’ in the revenue part the TIML income receipts?
The same table would suggest that activity operating costs go up 7.76% in year one, but activity revenue is projected to decrease, potentially requiring more funds from other sources such as rates?
A big drop in cultural services revenue – what is that revenue and why the drop?
The activity operating expenditure increase of 7.76% is above the CPI, probably upsetting the ACT party, but is this expenditure all to maintain the same level of service as activity improvemnets are identified further down that same table? – and if so, why is it above the CPI?
p.s. I hope other NPDC residents start to ask questions as I seem to be almost alone here…
Hi Mike,
Yes, we hope that other residents start using the forum too! The more feedback we get the better.
As for your questions, I’ll need to check these for you when I get back to work on Tuesday. Until then enjoy the long weekend!
Nick
Hi Mike,
Sorry it’s taken a while to get back to you on this one, but I hope you find these responses to your questions useful.
Regarding your first question, yes you are reading the table correctly and these are the projected annual increases in the amount we propose to collect through all types of rates (i.e. general rates, targeted rates for water, refuse, wastewater and roading, and the uniform annual general charge).
However, rates increases for individuals will vary from person to person and we’d encourage you to call us on 759 6060 if you’d like to find out how the proposal will affect you specifically.
On your second question, the line you refer to is mostly – but not entirely – made up from the Perpetual Investment Fund managed by TIML.
Regarding question three, you’re correct that operating costs are projected to rise by 7.76 per cent from 08/09 to 09/10. However not all of this is a ‘real’ cash increase e.g. in the table we are showing about $1 million of concessional leases in Community Development for 09/10 that are not cash funded.
Activity revenue is not only influenced in the operating sense but also by external capital revenue that comes through the operating statement but is tied to capital projects that can vary each year, so it is difficult to make valid comparisons with these figures (Cultural Services and Roading are affected this way in particular). In a general sense though rates are progressively picking up a larger share of the residual costs after revenues over time, given the limitations for revenue raising from other sources.
On your fourth question, this decrease reflects capital funding that we are not expecting to receive in 09/10 for the proposed Len Lye Centre, which is of course a project that will only be realised if external capital funding can be sourced.
Finally to your fifth question Mike. Most of the increases are to maintain current levels of service and reflect the basket of costs that local authorities are faced with.
It’s worth noting that the annual increases in many of our larger costs – energy, bitumen and sewer piping for example – tend to be higher than CPI. These costs also include funding for the depreciation of council assets, which is a legal requirement of all local authorities.
As these assets increase in value, our depreciation funding for them must follow suit. These assets (excluding land) are currently valued at more than $1 billion and are re-valued, in accordance with legislation, every three years.
Thanks
Steve Taylor
General Manager Support Services
NPDC
Does the plan include a buy local policy of Council? – and if so, what is that policy – do NP or Taranaki firms get a pricing advantage to support the local economy?
Hi Mike,
No, the draft plan does not include such a policy.
As a matter of practice the council gives no specific preferences to local suppliers and manufacturers.
However, we do make sure that our tenders provide full and fair opportunities for local suppliers and manufacturers to compete, provided they have sufficient capacity and capability to do so.
Thanks
Nick
Thanks Nick.
So how do you ensure local firms know about opportunities, especially if a tender is not used?
What determines whether a purchase must be tendered?
Do you maintain a preferred supplier list to ask to quote? – and if so, how do local firms get on that list?
Hi Mike,
This forum is for discussions about the Draft 2009-2019 Community Plan.
Please send me your contact details and I’ll arrange for someone to get in touch with you regarding your questions in this thread.
Thanks
Nick
mayburyn@npdc.govt.nz
Nick,
With respect, I believe the questions are relevant to the draft LTCCP.
I refer to sections 93(6) (e) and (f) of the LGA 2002 as backup.
If I understood your first answer, if NPDC had a tender for $10million and an Auckland firm was $10 cheaper than a local firm, the Auckland firm gets the work.
How does that support the local economy wellbeing? – in these economic times is not supporting local jobs more important? – such questions are very relevant to the LTCCP.
Do you not have a puchasing policy you can hyperlink online please?
Could you please tell me what would be the effect on the present level of rates, if all new projects that have been included in the Draft Community Plan plan were to be deferred for the time being ?
Hi Joe,
Let me look into this one for you. We’ll get back as soon as possible but it’s quite a long list so please bear with us.
Thanks
Nick
Hi Joe,
Deferring all the new projects would reduce the council’s overall rates requirement by less than one per cent in 2009/10 and this reduction would affect ratepayers differently, depending on the rates that apply to individual properties.
It’s also worth noting that if we deferred all of the projects we would be reducing the levels of service we’re proposing to deliver.
And there could also be an impact in future years when these works are put back into the plan.
Thanks
Nick
Full marks to the Council for providing a forum such as this.
It is particularly important at this time, when the world financial system is in such a mess, that all of us do our best to assist our Council to make wise decisions on our behalf.
Thanks Joe. The forum will be live until 1 May so there’s plenty of time for people to share their views on the draft plan.
A summary of the draft plan will be delivered to letterboxes across the district this week.
This highlights the key points of the draft plan and should give people a better understanding of what the council is proposing and seeking community feedback on.
Hopefully it will trigger some more posts on this forum!
Thanks
Nick Maybury
Manager Communications
NPDC
I think it is fantastic that NPDC is providing this type of forum for the community. I really appreciate how proactive the council has been in giving ratepayers every oppportunity to review and give feedback to a wide range of issues, not only through the website, which we know not everyone has access to, but through public meetings and regular correspondence in the free local newspaper. And this new forum demonstrates once again how keen the council is to make sure everyone gets heard, so let’s use it!
Thanks Andrea. We’re hoping people will use it too!
Nick Maybury
Manager Communications
NPDC