Paula Thompson BOP Regional Councillor www.envbop.govt.nz

It's that time of year again, when councils set rates for funding the year ahead's expenditure. Given the extraordinarily difficult economic times we all face, the pressures on councils to balance needs with ability to pay is great.

The processes involved in determining community needs, expenditure and funding, are based around the concept of trying to be as open and engaging as possible.

Councils are required by law to develop through community consultation 10 year plans – known as Long Term Council Plans (LTCPs).These plans are formally reviewed via community consultation every three years. In very simple terms, they provide a longer term plan for what the council intends to do and how it intends to pay for it. These plans were made mandatory after concerns including the lack of robust infrastructure planning and the sometimes lack of a clear revenue picture for the community of costs – particularly rates.

Councils are also required to develop annual plans – the theory being that these should ‘drop' out of the 10 year plans. These are the plans that reflect what the council intends to do and spend on an annual basis. The process of confirming the annual plan is open to community consultation to give communities the opportunity to ask for changes /additions to the draft plan.

The regional council has just started the public consultation on this year's Annual Plan and you can make submissions until 26 April.

The Major projects include:

Regional Policy Statement. This is the overarching policy framework that sets out the policies and rules for the sustainable management of the regions natural resources including Land Water and Air. It's a big public consultation exercise which will be being completed during the next year.

Tauranga Harbour and catchment – a large number of integrated projects and work to ensure the harbour remains an iconic healthy asset for us all.

Sustainable Economic Development. Continuing with initiatives to ensure the region is economically sustainable... My hope is that we create more employment.

And many more.

One of the many things that I have come to appreciate more is just how much resource has been and is being applied to restoring river, lake and water quality throughout the Bay. All these sources of water are under pressure from land use – including agriculture, horticulture and septic tank seepage as well as storm water discharges weeds, pest fish etc. Water is the ‘blue gold'.

Fresh water issues are becoming more important for the region as demand from industries and population growth. Groundwater is becoming the new blue gold and the issues with quality deterioration here are important as well.

At the present time, the regional council is planning to spend in 2011/12 $82.58m.

General and Targeted (ie applies to specific area/purpose like Rotorua Lakes; public passenger Transport). Rates are to provide one third of the funding. About $30m will be funded from investment income and the remaining approximate third will come from user fees and public funding. The proposed uniform annual general charge (ie that part of rates that is ‘uniform to all' is proposed to be set at $70.53 per household).

As I have said previously; there isn't a councillor – past or present – who doesn't realise how fortunate we are to have our investment income (available primarily through return from Port of Tauranga shareholding) to apply to our expenditure. The council has flagged in its LTCP that it would like to lessen the reliance on this to fund general activities – this would mean a change in the balance between what investment income pays for and what rates pay for and that is a significant consultation that needs to be had with our various communities particularly when we look at the revised LTCP.

Submissions on the draft Annual Plan close on April 26.

For more information visit www.boprc.govt.nz-talk or phone 0800 884 880 or email info@boprc.govt.nz

Please don't hesitate to contact me to discuss this or any regional council matter on 0272222419 or paulathompson@xtrqa.co.nz