Planning for the Future
There are three main council plans in any one year and they are all important for different reasons.
Every year around April, the council produces a Draft Annual Plan. This plan tells us what council is considering doing over the next twelve months. It gives an estimate of how much it will cost and as a result, how much rates will be. The reason this plan is important is because it is not yet set in stone. It puts up suggestions and ideas that the community can consider and it then invites residents to have their say either in writing or by expressing their opinion to the full council in a formal hearing.
Once the council has considered all the submissions, and other facts and information that might also be relevant, decisions are made and the final Annual Plan is produced and adopted. This plan tells the community what the Council is actually doing and it sets the direction for council staff to follow from June 30, through to June 30 in the following year.
So, the Draft Annual Plan gets people thinking and talking about what they want and the Annual Plan tells them what they will be getting for the next twelve months.
An Annual Report is also produced every year. This document tells the community exactly how the year went. This document helps the council auditors check that the activities of council are being well managed, financially and in terms of the organisations performance.
What is the LTCCP, Community Plan, Long Term Plan or Council Community Plan? They are all the same thing. These plans are important because councils undertake a lot of projects that span more than a year or impact on the community far into the future. The LTCCP, is a ten year plan. It hovers over the top and provides a guide for the next ten years. It’s not possible to predict the costs and influences ten years out but this plan provides fairly accurate approximates on all the big or ongoing activities council will undertake. The annual plan provides more exact details.
The ten year plan is reviewed every three years and again, a draft ten year plan is produced and the community can comment on it before it is adopted. Council can also choose to make adjustments or variations to the ten year plan before the three year review is due and the community gets to have our say on those changes as well.
Another important plan is the District Plan. This plan relates to the land and it tells the community what can be done and where. So, if someone is building a house, buying or looking to develop property this is where they should look first. The plan divides our district into zones which allow certain activities to be undertaken in that area.
The District Plan is reviewed every ten years and like the other plans a Draft District Plan is provided for the community to comment on and allows them to seek and to make changes at any time by following a process.
Have your Say
Apart from making a submission to one of the above plans there are a number of other ways you can put your views forward and get involved.
You can come to Council and Committe meetings and speak during the public forum. To view a copy of the meetings timetable click here - 
Calendar of Meetings 2010.
You can write us a letter - Contact Us
You can make an appointment to see the Mayor or a Council Officer - Contact Us
You can vote in the Local Elections - 2010 Election Information