With ratepayers increasingly focused on cutting “nice-to-haves” from council budgets, Local Democracy Reporting has asked Carterton’s mayoral candidates for their take on “nice-to-haves”, what they see as core council services, and what they will prioritise if elected. 

Simon Casey I see these projects fall into a form of Maslow’s “hierarchy of needs” triangle. 

The base of the triangle consists of core projects that maintain a minimum level of safety, efficiency and service that enables us to live in the region. Examples include transport, water, sewerage, power, waste services etc. 

The “nice to have” projects are more towards the top of the triangle. 

They are discretionary projects where the consequences of not proceeding with it are not significant.

But undertaking it may result in a better experience for residents and therefore grow the appeal of the region and therefore help grow the population. 

Examples include community grants, funding for events, tourism and recreational services. 

As a mayoral candidate, I would like to promote the construction of gravel footpaths outside of the urban areas so residents don’t have to walk on the road. 

It would be shared with cyclists and horse riders.

It would improve recreation and safety but is a discretionary project that would first need community buy in. 

It would need to be included in a longer term plan with other projects defining where we want to be in 10 - 30 years time. 

Even if such a project was agreed to by the community and budgeted for, it may need to be delayed where core projects take priority for limited funding. 

Steve Cretney A nice-to-have project is a project not essential to council’s core business. 

Often nice-to-have projects benefit only a small percentage of the community, meaning they’re challenging to justify funding from rates. 

Relevant examples could include the following: investing in the Five Towns Trails Project; footpaths on both sides of streets; dedicated cycleways; berm mowing; events centre management; community grants. 

My definition of core council services is: essential services council provides to meet the levels of service the community requires and all legislative requirements of government. 

These will include managing three waters infrastructure, roading, footpaths, waste management including a refuse station and refuse collection, parks, libraries, public toilets, street lighting, emergency management, regulatory services e.g. compliance, planning, building inspectors, dog ranger, etc. 

I would prioritise continuing to investigate new revenue streams, as apart from growth, it is one of the only ways to help offset future rate increases. 

Government do have funding available for feasibility studies and trials in the waste minimisation space.

I would also prioritise the completion of the new water storage project in Waingawa, and look to partner with key stakeholders once proof of concept is achieved. 

Brian Deller Council’s core services are usually defined as roading and waters (stormwater, wastewater, and drinking water). 

These are crucial to our district, and smart investment in these areas means residents won’t be left footing an unexpected bill for under-maintained infrastructure. 

With the move to combine with Masterton, South Wairarapa and Tararua under the Local Water Done Well model, council will still maintain some level of local water control. 

But with this part of council business to be removed, our focus will be on other core services. 

These include roading, regulatory services (inspecting new builds, issuing consents, alcohol licensing, food certifications ensuring our cafés adhere to food safety protocols, pool inspections as mandated by central government), animal control, and other council provided services such as the library, outdoor pools and our parks. 

Managing and upgrading assets and services such as the parks, pools and library, can often be deemed as ‘nice to haves’. 

However, it is important to remember that council owns these assets and is responsible for maintaining them to a safe and acceptable standard, and must meet certain levels of service. 

It’s important we strike a balance to ensure all residents can enjoy these services without adding any extra burden on our ratepayers. 

That’s why I’m an advocate for supporting community-led projects and seeking grants where possible.

One example is the recent addition of Molly’s Slide at the outdoor pools, which was achieved with only a fifth of the cost covered by council, and the remainder sourced through fundraising and grants. 

We need to keep any rates increases to an absolute minimum which means any projects outside required maintenance, safety improvements, and beyond council's agreed service levels should be deemed as 'nice to haves' and require thorough research, debate around the council table, and public consultation where possible. 

-LDR is local body journalism co-funded by RNZ and NZ On Air.

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