Tauranga Commissioners to decide key consultation topics for upcoming 2024-34 Long-term Plan.

Tauranga City Council Commissioners will confirm the big decisions we need to make to keep our city on track and moving forward when they meet on Monday, 21 August.

Development of the draft 2024-34 Long-term Plan, the city’s 10-year plan, is well underway, with a focus on balancing the investment our growing city needs now and in the future, delivering much-needed community outcomes and keeping rates as affordable and fair as possible.

The plan for the next ten years and beyond in Tauranga hasn’t changed much since the Commissioners began the overdue job of addressing the city’s challenges in 2021, but the cost of delivery has increased significantly.

Since the 2021-31 Long-term Plan was amended last year, the cost of delivery has increased by some 20% as a result of rising construction costs, general inflation and interest rates. Other changes since then include the impact of natural disasters on funding availability, changes to the timing of the government’s waters reform, and further investment needed to improve our roads, including a backlog of deferred maintenance.

“Despite the challenges, we’re a growing city and it’s essential we commit the investment needed to maintain what we have now and provide for future growth,” says Commission Chair Anne Tolley.

“We have some tough decisions to make, and we need as much community input to that process as possible, so that we can make the right decisions and create a vibrant, well-planned city with people at its heart.”

The key priority areas for investment remain:

• Revitalising the city centre
• Growth in the western corridor
• Growth in existing zoned areas (including housing intensification in Te Papa / City Centre)
• Community facilities and amenity improvements
• Transport network upgrades
• Sustainability and Resilience

Topics under consideration for public consultation include:

• The proposed introduction of a new industrial rate, to reflect the effect of industrial activities on the wider community and the sector’s use of and impact on infrastructure, particularly the transport network;
• Whether to include funding to support the proposed Tauranga Community Stadium project in year six of the 2024-34 Long-term Plan, subject to community feedback;
• Paying a fair share - new options for user fees and charges, so that those who benefit from Council facilities and services contribute fairly to their cost;
• What level of investment we should be committing to our roading network.

The Council will also provide information about a possible future means of reducing congestion and emissions and accelerating investment in the city’s transport infrastructure. Known as SmartTrip, this could see existing road tolls replaced with variable charges on the highway network. Higher charges in the morning and afternoon peak travel times and lower charges off-peak would encourage people to change their time of travel, where they are able to, or alternatively, catch a bus, walk or cycle, work from home or share a ride with someone else. Drivers paying the charge would get a faster trip and the funds raised would be reinvested in new roads and better transport services across the city. No decisions are required at this stage and changes in Government legislation would be needed before variable road pricing could be introduced, but the Long-term Plan will explain how SmartTrip could make it easier to get around the city in the future.

Once the draft plan has been approved, the Council will undertake a formal consultation process to seek the community’s views and input into the final plan. Public consultation on the draft Long-term Plan will run from Wednesday, 15 November to Friday, 15 December 2023.

© Scoop Media