The distribution of the cost of water is expected to be a hot issue in submissions to the Central Otago draft annual plan and the topic also prompted spirited debate yesterday before the district council signed off the document.
The draft plan signalled an average district rates rise of 5.2% and it will open for public submissions today, closing on May 13. An eight-page summary of the plan's key issues will be posted to Central Otago ratepayers next week.
Councillors debated yesterday whether it was appropriate for Central Otago Mayor Tony Lepper to include his view on how costs of water services should be funded in the future.
Residents and ratepayers are being asked for their feedback on whether costs of council-run water and wastewater schemes in the district should be averaged out and spread equally across all scheme users and Mr Lepper has stated his support for such a change.
Deputy mayor Neil Gillespie said he was unsure if it was fair to ''put one side of the argument and not the other'' in the summary, but Cr Clair Higginson said it was important for the document to be ''provocative'' to draw a wide response from the public.
''I'm not arguing against that; I'm just surprised the mayor's was the only view which is pushed. Why should the mayor get a chance to push his barrow, so to speak,'' Mr Gillespie said.
Community boards within the district have already discussed a wide-ranging report on water services, whether there should be a change to the funding model and whether they should surrender their power in relation to water and wastewater schemes to the district council.
Maniototo and Roxburgh have supported district-wide funding, while Vincent made no decision about it and Cromwell decided to seek feedback from the public.
Council corporate services manager Susan Finlay said the major increase in the rates this year was in water and wastewater costs.
