More community input sought on 2024-25 Annual Plan

The Central Otago District Council (CODC) has been holding a series of community drop-ins in all corners of the district to hear community feedback on the Annual Plan, which includes an average 21.4% rates increase.

Through feedback, the Council heard there was interest in having more, and as a result, is holding another online session on Wednesday 15 May 7pm-8pm, with Mayor Tim Cadogan, Deputy Mayor Neil Gillespie and Councillor Tamah Alley.

“We’ve listened and we want to keep talking to the community, about what’s driving the rates rises,” Mayor Tim said.

“It’s a bitter pill to swallow. We know times are tough and this is the last thing we want to be doing. But we also want to make responsible decisions that allow us to continue providing the essential services that our communities expect and deserve without passing today's costs on to tomorrow.”

As elected members have travelled around the district in the past two weeks, they have been asked many tough questions, but they have also listened to the very real concerns that people have about the rate increase.

The Council has made a lot of information available on the Annual Plan consultation page on Let’s Talk, but sometimes people prefer to have a chat. The online session scheduled for 15 May is about having an opportunity to listen, but more importantly, to ask questions and be heard. The link for the online community discussion can be found on the CODC website Meetings - Central Otago District Council (codc.govt.nz)