Council adopts Draft Annual Plan 2023-24

The Draft Annual Plan 2023/24 outlines what the Council is going to do over the coming year and how much it will cost. It’s the third year of the Council’s Long-Term Plan 2021-2031.

Mayor Sam Broughton says Council has worked hard to pull together a work programme that keeps the rates as low as possible while ensuring its services and facilities continue to meet the needs of Selwyn’s ever-growing communities.

“We are acutely aware of the rising living costs that our residents are facing at the moment given the high inflation.”

The proposed average rates increase is 5.9%, slightly higher than the 5.5% increase forecast in the Long-Term Plan, but well below the current rate of inflation of 7.2%.

For a typical household this rate increase means an extra $3.36 a week. This is an average, and for individual ratepayers, the actual change may be smaller or greater, depending on their location and the services provided.

“When planning our capital projects, we focused on what’s achievable, and thanks to several new government initiatives we have had an opportunity to also access additional funding sources. This has enabled us to progress new projects or bring some already planned forward, particularly in the transportation area. An example of such a project is traffic signals at a key arterial intersection in Selwyn - Levi/Lowes/Masefield/Lincoln Rolleston Road traffic signals, which was originally scheduled for 2025/26,” says Mayor Sam.

In addition to several major projects, the Council is continuing to invest in services, facilities and infrastructure, and other community projects across the district. These include projects such as the new:

• community reserve development in Dunsandel and Darfield
• water treatment plant in Leeston and Prebbleton
• membrane water treatment plant and reservoir in Springfield
• reservoirs in Hororātā and Arthur’s Pass
• and intersection upgrades in Lincoln town centre.

To deliver these services and facilities, the plan proposes committing $137.7 million to capital projects over the next 12 months. This includes $20.8 million in water supply projects, $45.8 million in wastewater projects and $43.5 million in transportation projects.

“While our work programme for next year is pretty much on track with what’s outlined in our Long-Term Plan that was widely consulted on, it’s still important that we hear from our Selwyn communities. I encourage everyone to have a look at our draft plan and let us know if we are on the right track or if we have missed something,” says Mayor Sam.

People will also have a chance to talk to their local councillor at drop-in sessions held in each ward.