Annual plan opinions aired for Community Board

April 12th, 2013
[by David Armstrong]

At least the audience easily outnumbered the Community Board members and Council people this time (refer to our earlier story), but still it was only 15 ratepayers who contributed opinions last night on the Council's draft annual plan.

The meeting in Memorial Hall was hosted by David Ogilvie and Paul Hawkes representing the Community Board, with backup assistance by Councillor Eileen Wilkins, and those attending gave the board a steer on what they thought of items in the annual plan that affected the local ward.

In the end, after many opinions were expressed mainly critical of the Council, people were urged by Cr Wilkins to take the next step beyond complaining and actually make submissions to the plan.

David Ogilvie worked his way through the prepared list of items of local interest and patiently heard and answered comments, some heated but mostly mildly scathing and humorous and just occasionally genuinely seeking further relevant information.

Some of the discussion had more to do with central government (and even the United Nations in one instance) rather than Tasman District Council, but it gave some people a chance to air opinions and be critical. However, relevant items related to the Motueka ward that drew most discussion included:

How Council will deal with potentially earthquake-prone public buildings including Memorial Hall and Motueka Library, and why we need to abide by national policies and laws, which may soon be liberalised anyhow.
Plans to replace and enlarge the library or build a new one, with some saying that libraries are becoming a thing of the past so the present one is okay.
Ratepayer funding for regional tourism, and the future of the local and regional i-Site operations.
Expenditure on maintenance of Motueka River, where this is going and the future of river work.
The proposal to underground electricity and other wiring along southern High Street, and the value or otherwise that this expenditure would bring to the town.
How our water rates are spent, especially the payments made by people on their own private bores, and the future of water reticulation for the whole district including the Waimea Plains.
Dealing with the erosion problems on Jackett Island and Port Motueka.

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