Mayor, councillors sign off 'straightjacket' QLDC long term plan

The mayor likened fiscal constraints to a "straightjacket" providing his council little room to move while developing its Long Term Plan, adopted unanimously at a full council meeting this afternoon.

Queenstown Lakes District Mayor Glyn Lewers said settling leaky building claims and necessary three waters investment "significantly curtailed" the council's spending options.

Meanwhile deputy mayor Quentin Smith said the council had been "held ransom by the costs of growth and the cost of regulation by central government".

The plan includes $2.4 billion in capital spending, $979 million - or 40 percent - of which is directly attributed to catering to expected growth in the district in the decade ahead.

There was little debate prior to the vote, as departing council finance boss Stewart Burns spoke to what will be his last plan and, he said, his most difficult, after almost 30 years in the job.

It leaves ratepayers facing an average 15.8 percent rates increase for the year ahead, with targeted central Queenstown property owners facing a close to 24 percent jump, and Lake Hayes property owners, a close to 20 percent jump.

Councillor Matt Wong, himself a business owner on Brecon Street in the Queenstown CBD, acknowledged "the hit" central business owners were taking, urging the council to move quickly on car park provision catered for in the plan.

He described it as "low hanging fruit" that could go a long way to appeasing business owners and said he wants to see new car parks provided for this side of Christmas.

First term councillor Cody Tucker, of Lake Hāwea, said the task of seeking to balance the books had felt "overwhelming".

"It's kind of like building a house in a hurricane."

Councillor Barry Bruce, along with several other councillors, acknowledged the close to 1,000 submissions the council received on the plan, describing many of them as "heartfelt".

He argued the council had little room to move, emphasising its "statutory responsibility to keep the books in order".

Several councillors spoke of a need for the council to stay "agile" and continue to lobby for new revenue sources.

Councillor Lyal Cocks said, "We're facing unprecedented challenges right now...Relying on rates is unsustainable."

He stressed to ratepayers the council had listened to community input on spending priorities, despite "some people out there not believing we have been listening".

He said it was "very difficult" to have on the table an LTP "with such a significant rates rise".

Another first-term councillor, Queenstowner Gavin Bartlett, asked council staff whether in-depth consultation with residents and ratepayers could happen earlier in the process of developing the plan to help combat community sentiment outcomes were "a foregone conclusion".

Councillor Lisa Guy, of Arrowtown, also delivering her first Long Term Plan, said she, and her councillor colleagues, had not "taken it lightly" and the plan was a "reflection of the past underinvestment".

She also acknowledged the many "wonderful submissions" calling for art facilities, active transport networks and more sports fields.

"I didn't actually hear a 'no' around this table or from our council officers. What I heard was 'not yet'."

She thanked community members, who she said "are the ones having to pay for it until we come out and secure you some other funding tools".

Mr Burns said the Long Term Plan is "a point in time sort of document", and its first reforecast is expected as early as next month.

The mayor described the amount of work done by staff to deliver the plan, particularly in response to policy changes around three waters from central government, as "astounding".

He said staff cuts at the council had been "very seriously" looked at during attempts to balance the books, but ultimately delivering of the spending plan for the decade ahead was prioritised and staff numbers were vital in achieving that, in his view.

Councillors Niki Gladding and Esther Whitehead were absent from the meeting, both with apologies accepted. Councillor Whitehead requested it be noted her absence was due to medical reasons.

The Long Term Plan and accompanying report can be found in the council agenda here.

Main image: The Queenstown Lakes District Council meets to pass its Long Term Plan, Thursday, September 19, 2024.