Hearings to begin as Council finalises its Annual Plan

The Draft Plan, which outlines the Council’s projects and services for the upcoming year, was out for public consultation from 26 February to 28 March. 

Hearings where the Mayor and Councillors will consider the 1000 submissions and hear oral presentations from around 100 groups and individuals begin on Wednesday 2 April.  

“We want to thank all the individuals and organisations who had a say on our Draft Annual Plan this year. Our job as leaders of the city is to listen to our communities, and that’s exactly what we’ll be doing,” says Mayor Phil Mauger. 

“Topics that got a lot of attention include transport, our parks, and the overall affordability of our rates, with people telling us what services they value the most, what they feel they could do without, and opportunities for savings. 

“We also got a range of feedback on the key issues we asked about specifically – a grant for the Air Force Museum, a scoping report on a central city shuttle service, pausing the Christ Church Cathedral targeted rate, and charging rates for renewing our infrastructure," the Mayor said. 

“When the Councillors and I sit down at the hearings, we consider every single bit of feedback, and it has an impact on the final shape of the Annual Plan.” 

The Draft Plan outlines the activities, services and capital projects the Council proposes to deliver in the coming year, and how they will be funded, including the required rates. It also highlighted key changes from the Long Term Plan 2024–2034. 

This year's Draft Annual Plan proposed $861 million on day-to-day services, $736 million on capital works, and an overall average rates increase of 7.58%, or $5.64 a week for the average household. 

The next step is public hearings, which are being held from Thursday 3 April. Watch them livestreamed here, and read the agendas, including all the public submissions.

The Annual Plan will be adopted at a Council meeting in June.