Marlborough District Council confirmed its funding priorities for its Annual Plan 2022-2023 yesterday, after considering 78 submissions from the public.

Deputy Mayor Nadine Taylor, who chaired the meeting and the Annual Plan hearings last week, said after careful consideration the Council had managed to keep this year’s proposed rates increase to 5.39%, which would be confirmed at the Council meeting on 30 June.

“As noted by Mayor John Leggett at the beginning of our public consultation process in April, this year’s proposed rates increase is driven by external factors outside our control - inflation, new Government requirements and higher labour and supply chain costs, which are impacting on all councils.”

She noted the Council had made use of its Infrastructure Upgrade and Depreciation reserves and allocated $4.3M from its Covid-19 Rates Relief Reserve, which had kept the rates increase down.

“Our budget for the coming year maintains current levels of service with a $83.4M capital expenditure programme focused on delivering core infrastructure, our highest ever level.”

“It was pleasing to receive requests from such passionate members of the Marlborough community. While each request is important to the submitter, Council has to take a helicopter view of needs and benefits across the region,” Deputy Mayor Taylor said.

“It’s always challenging to manage the community’s desire for increased levels of service and project funding whilst also keeping a lid on rates increases, a task that is much more difficult in the current financial environment.”

“Council is very conscious of the impacts of Covid-19 and general cost increases on people’s pockets. We have sought to keep this year’s rate increase to a minimum and tightened our belts, supporting a relatively small number of initiatives,” Deputy Mayor Taylor said.

Councillors supported funding the following projects (GST exclusive):

• $30,000 to Destination Marlborough for a one-off grant to support offshore travel trade promotion, with Tourism New Zealand
• $2,748 to Business Trust Marlborough to cover its CPI increase
• $5,000 increase in annual funding to the Cawthron Marlborough Environment Awards
• $3,000 annual grant to the Spring Creek Residents and Ratepayers Association for hall maintenance
• $6,500 increase to the Flaxbourne Settlers Association operating grant
• $20,000 one-off grant to the Marlborough Community Vehicle Trust to assist with increased Blenheim to Nelson health transfer operating costs
• $4,000 annual increase to the Picton Historical Society to account for CPI increase
• $13,000 for one year, subject to further review next year, to the Graeme Dingle Foundation Marlborough for the Career Navigator programme
• $1,000 annual increase to the Blenheim Community Patrol to assist with increased community patrol operating costs
• $1,540 annual increase to the Okiwi Bay Ratepayers Association to assist with reserve maintenance.

In addition councillors agreed to support some requests, subject to additional project funding being secured, including:

• $31,689 one-off funding to the Marlborough Heritage Trust to cover one-third of the maintenance work cost on the Edwin Fox subject to the Trust securing two-thirds lotteries grant funding
• $100,000 to Picton Dawn Chorus for traps and other equipment. Councillors encouraged Picton Dawn Chorus to discuss with DOC options to change their Jobs for Nature funding criteria to enable the partial purchase of traps and equipment
• Up to $250,000 to the Flaxbourne Heritage Trust to complete the construction of the proposed heritage centre, but subject to all other necessary funding being raised by the Trust and confirming their costings.

A number of other requests were referred to Council committees for further consideration, including a request from Rangitāne o Wairau for $110,000 for feasibility work for a proposed Cultural Heritage Centre - Ngā Wairau o Ruatere, which received strong support from councillors. A number of building maintenance requests from the Flaxbourne Settlers Association totalling $9,739 were referred to the Small Townships Programme Committee.

Other new initiatives the Council proposed in its consultation were largely supported by public submissions and are set out below. The majority will be funded from Reserves and so will not impact on rates.

• $831,400 over four years for upgrades and improvements for community facilities and playgrounds in Blenheim, Picton, Renwick and Havelock
• $70,000 of funding to cover operational costs at Lansdowne Sportshub
• One off $100,000 operating grant to the Marlborough Heritage Trust in 2022-23; the Trust manages and operates the Marlborough Museum and archives at Brayshaw Heritage Park, and the Edwin Fox
• $250,000 for amenity upgrades in Marlborough’s smaller towns through the Small Townships Programme
• $125,000 to implement the Government’s new National Policy Statement (NPS) on Freshwater Management for three years
• $50,000 for building capacity and capability to implement the NPS on Freshwater Management - Te Mana o te Wai - for three years
• $150,000 to support potential rezoning variations for housing and other developments to the Proposed Marlborough Environment Plan
• Increase in staff remuneration budgets to remain competitive in the challenging employment market ($562,000), and additional personnel in Emergency Management, Human Resources and Rivers to meet increased workloads - $150,000.

A $100,000 proposal to lift Picton Foreshore and Shelly Beach maintenance to premier park status was supported by councillors but the expenditure withdrawn until landscape design is completed and costed. The landscape work will be carried out by Council’s Gardening Team, which designs and maintains Council’s premier parks at Seymour Square and Pollard Park.

“This is an economical way for Council to take this project forward, using in-house resources,” Deputy Mayor Taylor said.

Rates for the coming year will be set at the Council meeting on Thursday 30 June and come into effect on 1 July.

“I’d like to thank all submitters for taking the time to participate,” Deputy Mayor Taylor said.

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