A move towards districtisation was meet with little fanfare by Central Otago’s community boards this month.
Council staff presented reports at the four — Vincent, Maniototo, Teviot and Cromwell — community board meetings this month, asking for feedback on proposed districtisation — moving ward-rated services to being rated across the whole district.
Currently, 82% of council services, such as roading, water and waste disposal, are funded at a district level.
The council was proposing districtising the remaining services and activities, including parks, pools and property.
Some community boards and communities pushed back on the proposal when it was suggested in February.
At the time, members of the Cromwell community board said they were blindsided by the proposal and felt like the council was setting itself up to have a "land grab" of the board’s assets.
Cromwell and Vincent community board members raised questions at this month’s meetings, including where funds from endowment land could be spent.
Cromwell community board member Wally Sanford said "we can only make good decisions if we’ve got good information".
Vincent community board member Tracy Paterson said districtisation was the "best way forward" for the long-term good of the community.
The Teviot Valley and Maniototo community boards accepted the report with no discussion. All boards would provide a written response for the council to consider.
In a statement, council chief executive Peter Kelly said the council was looking at every possible path to address rising costs.
"Taking a district-wide view to strategic decision-making on these activities would help prioritise spending across the district, address long-term affordability as well as simplify the council’s rating system to give greater transparency for where our rates are spent."
Also at this month’s community board meetings, members decided on whether to send a representative to the Local Government New Zealand Community Board conference in Wellington, in August.
The community board representatives selected were Jayden Cromb (Vincent) and Wally Sanford (Cromwell).
Maniototo community board was still considering whether to send someone and Teviot Valley decided board member Sally Feinerman would represent them.
