Our Council: E-Newsletter

At the 29 June Council meeting, elected members received a rates resolution amendment report that corrected some figures used in the resolution originally adopted on 14 June.  This amendment corrected the figures for the stormwater targeted rates fixed charges in the following communities: Balclutha, Clinton, Kaitangata, Kaka Point, Lawrence, Milton, Owaka and Tapanui.

As part of our annual bridge inspections, Council's provider of professional roading services, Stantec, has recommended posting weight and speed limits on bridges identified as being susceptible to damage or increased deterioration if they were subject to 'normal' open road loads and speeds. A public notification process will now be initiated for the bridges in question.  An amendment was made for Hina Hina Bridge, confirming its axle limit as 2500kg, its gross limit as 5000kg and its speed limit as 10km/hr.

Council's work on it 2018/28 Long Term Plan is now underway. This process is carried out every three years, and sets out the services and projects Council intends to deliver to the community over a 10-year period and how these will be funded - as well as Council's long-term vision for the district. Our councillors set the direction for the Long Term Plan and the 2018/28 plan will cover a number of key issues. At this meeting, councillors agreed the timetable for a series of workshops, which they will attend so they can be briefed and provide direction about these key issues.

Councillors discussed the amount of insurance needed to cover losses in large and small scale disasters. It was agreed that we already have sufficient cover for both big and small events and it was unnecessary to burden today's rate payers with additional insurance costs. In reaching this conclusion two big event scenarios were modelled, one was a 7.5-magnitude earthquake leading to a $30m loss and the other an 8-magnitude shake leading to a $43m loss. The combination of Council's reserve funds, our ability to borrow and the reasonable expectation that central government would contribute 60% of the recovery costs led councillors to conclude no extra insurance was necessary for big events at this point in time. Similar logic applied when making the decision about extra insurance for small events. This issue will be assessed on an annual basis.

After receiving additional information, councillors again discussed a possible new bylaw to enable better management of heavy vehicle traffic on Tahakopa Valley Road. The main reason a new bylaw was being considered was to give Council a mechanism for preventing damage to the road by stopping intensive periods of heavy traffic use in certain conditions - such as winter. At this meeting councillors instructed staff to look into enforcing District Plan and Local Government Act rules to roads (such as the Tahakopa Valley Road) to ensure trees are not creating too much shade, making the road wet and vulnerable to heavy traffic.

As many of you may know we are farewelling our popular receptionist Ingrid Keating this week, following her decision to retire. For more than 23 years Ingrid was the first face and voice of Council to many of our customers and she certainly set the bar for how to welcome and help people. We will miss her, but wish her all the very best for her future endeavours and thank her for her service. In other staff news, we will soon welcome our new Capital Delivery Manager Gerry Essenberg to the Service Delivery department, Gerry will be leading the capital delivery team in a range of construction projects throughout the district. We will also welcome Justine Barrie as Executive Assistant to the Mayor. Justine is replacing Rachel Askew in this part-time role, while Rachel will continue as our Communications Coordinator, also in a part-time capacity.

Pounawea Seawall Extension: This contract was awarded to SouthRoads Ltd in the sum of $64,275 (excl. GST). This is below the available budget amount of $80,000.

Road Maintenance 2017/20: This contract was awarded to SouthRoads Ltd in the sum of $17,490,703 (excl. GST). This is 1.8% above the Engineer’s pre-tender estimate.

Network Professional Services 2017/20: This contract was awarded to Stantec (MWH) in the sum of $1,865,396 (excl. GST). This is 31% below the Engineer’s pre-tender estimate and 37% below the combined available budget amount. Stantec has successfully undertaken this type of work for Council in the past +20 years and is the holder of the current contract.

Palmer Place Stormwater Pump Station: This contract was awarded to Clearwaters Otago for the revised sum of $177,056 (excl. GST). Council has engaged Fluent Solutions as consultants for this project. After a review of the tender prices and design options it was discovered the electrical section of the design included some components that were not required. After evaluation of the revised tenders Fluent Solutions recommended Clearwaters Otago for this contract, having the lowest revised tender price and an acceptable method of construction.

The Our Place Milton community plan is open for feedback. It will help determine the projects and priorities for Milton. We've got some ideas we want to talk about - they centre on what Council can do with our key facilities and how we can work with the community to make things happen. Topics for Milton include the main street, walking and cycling, parks and reserves, key facilities, development opportunities and the pool. We want to know what you think of the ideas so far, what we've missed and anything else you want to share! The feedback is your chance to help shape the future of the community you live in. It’s very easy to provide online feedback at www.cluthadc.govt.nz/consultation and feedback closes on 14 July 2017.

From early July you will be able to register dogs and pay for your registrations online at onlineservices.govt.nz.  This new service will save you paperwork and ensure your dog's details are kept up to date.  All dogs should be registered by the end of July and it's important to register dogs over three-months-old as otherwise you can be issued with an infringement notice.  We also need you to indicate whether or not your dog is a "working dog" - this is a requirement under the Dog Control Act, which defines a "working dog" as one kept solely or principally for the purposes working stock.