Proposed investment in Tarras Water's irrigation scheme has dominated discussion on the Otago Regional Council's draft annual plan even though it is not a topic up for public consultation.
At a meeting of the finance and corporate committee yesterday, councillors agreed to put the draft annual plan out for public consultation, although some were critical of the proposed 5.3% general rate increase.
While the plan includes provision for the council to fund the Tarras project and is the reason for the rate increase, council chairman Stephen Woodhead said public consultation on the matter had been held earlier this year and it was not up for public debate again.
The only debate to be had was between councillors when the final Tarras proposal came before it, although that was not now expected to be until its May meeting.
Council chief executive Peter Bodeker said there was not enough time to digest the key financial information and figures the council had requested from Tarras Water before agendas were due to go out for the council meeting on March 27.
''It's a significant piece of work and we need to take the appropriate time to get it right.''
A workshop for councillors on Tarras Water's application for a $2 million environmental grant also needed to be held before the meeting.
Cr Sam Neill said he was ''appalled'' the information from Tarras Water had not been provided in time for it to come to the meeting on March 27.
Cr Bryan Scott said the 5.3% increase might not be lot in monetary terms, but the council had a principle of not having rate increases higher than inflation.
''In a difficult economic setting, this is not the right signal to be sending.''
He suggested a proposal for staff to prepare options for the rate increase to be dropped so it could be considered by the hearing panel and councillors. The idea did not get any support.
Cr Gerry Eckhoff said the rate increase was ''not a good look'' and could affect the council's credibility.
However, Cr Trevor Kempton said another view was of the council being ''hoisted by its own petard'' in having a tight regime around rate increases, as it meant it could not do something ''adventurous''.
''I have no problem with the extra $2.50 on my section in Dunedin.''
Cr Duncan Butcher said his rates would only increase by 90c, which indicated the rate increase was not ''shifting a huge load to ratepayers''.
While there was to be no consultation, there would be submissions made on Tarras Water and it would be up to the hearing panel to decide if there was anything new in them that needed to be considered, he said.
''But probably by that time the council will have made the decision one way or another.''
Under the schedule accepted yesterday, public submissions would close on May 3, before the Tarras decision was made on May 8.
Corporate services manager Wayne Scott said the hearing panel had the option of coming back to the council with a recommendation to seek ways to reduce the rate increase.
Cr Louise Croot said other issues in the draft plan, such as the regional policy statement and the work on the next stage of the Leith flood protection plan, were important.
Mr Woodhead said the council had held three workshops to discuss what was to be included in the plan.
The committee agreed to put an extra paragraph in the explanation on Tarras Water to explain the flow-on effects if the council agreed to invest.
Submissions on the plan would be heard in the week beginning May 13 by a panel comprising Mr Woodhead and Crs Kempton, Doug Brown, David Shepherd, Michael Deaker and Croot.
