30/05/2006

Copy star

Otorohanga wants to get in on the Christmas star action too.
Following consultation with The Lines Company, the town may be lit up by the same Christmas star and Easter cross as Te Kuiti in the future.
The Lines Company said it is willing to meet the cost of construction, ongoing maintenance and power.
However, council may be required to spend about $1200 on consents.
In order for construction to begin, resource and building consents need to be attained, and depending on the proposed site, Transit New Zealand may also need consultation.
Preferred sites for the lights presently include Mountain View Rd adjacent to the reservoir, or the cemetery on Main North Rd. Surrounding residents will be consulted.

ODC rates up 8.3% but growth assured

Consolidation is the key word as Otorohanga district charts the next decade.
Otorohanga District Council recently released its draft Long Term Council Community
Flan and residents can expect a relatively trouble-free ride from 2006-2016.
With infrastructure substantially upgraded in the past decade, the district is set to cash in.
"The next 10 years could be characterised as a period of consolidation for the district," said mayor Dale Williams and chief executive David Hall in the LTCCP foreword.
"The district's roads, Otorohanga community's water and sewerage networks and Kawhia's water and stormwater networks have all been substantially upgraded over the past decade. This has left the district with a solid foundation for ongoing growth.
"Notwithstanding our intention to consolidate, many worthwhile projects have been programmed to occur during the next 10 years."
Rates are expected to rise 8.3 per cent in 2006/07, with the council pinning the blame on exorbitant regulatory costs.
"It is disappointing that many of the causes of these rate increases are non-produc-tive," said. Mr Williams and Mr Hall.
"For example, the cost of preparing, pre-auditing and auditing of this LTCCP and future annual reports, the extraordinary cost of defending legal challenges under the Resource Management Act, significant increases in the cost of district planning associated with the early review of our district plan, and the additional costs arising from amendments to the Building Control and Dog Control Acts, not all of which can be absorbed by increased consent or registration fees."
In 2006 / 07, an average Otorohanga property will pay $1600 in rates, an average Kawhia property $1300 and a $3 million rural property $7568.
The LTCCP forecasts rate increases throughout the next 10 years, however the percentage increases follow a downward trend. Increases are less than five per cent from 2008/09, falling to less than one per cent in 2013 / 14 and 2015 / 16,
Public debt is expected to fall from $14 million (current) to about $4m by 2016.
The plan is open for submissions until June 6.