City Care Contract Starts Today

Dunedin, 28 February 2014 – Residents may notice different trucks on city streets from tomorrow as City Care takes over the maintenance of Dunedin’s water and wastewater network.

DCC Group Manager Water and Waste Laura McElhone says the main difference the public will see is vehicles branded ‘City Care - providing services to Dunedin City Council’ attending to network problems such as a burst water main or blocked sewer.

“Customers will still call the DCC’s Customer Services Agency on 03 477 4000 to report any issues and will still be dealing with DCC staff if they have any specific complaints or queries.”

DCC staff will still be responsible for looking after treatment plants, pumping stations and water reservoirs.

Of the 30 DCC staff affected by the decision to outsource water and wastewater network maintenance, 17 have been transferred to City Care. A maximum of two redundancies are expected and the remainder of staff have been appointed to alternative roles within the DCC.

The contract with City Care is expected to deliver annual savings of at least $350,000. As well as cost savings, the contract will deliver other considerable benefits. These include more assessment of sewer pipe condition through the dedicated use of specialist equipment, which will enable better renewal planning. It will also allow more wastewater and stormwater sewers to be cleaned regularly, which will reduce the risk of flooding, as well as reducing the amount of sediment reaching the Otago Harbour.

City Care also has more advanced IT systems than the Water and Waste Services business unit, such as hand-held computers in the field, which will lead to better customer service.

City Care, a national company, currently maintains water and drainage networks serving 1.5 million New Zealanders.

ENDS

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