With a good amount of our blog readers being based in the Manawatu we thought that this month we would put something together about a few different things going on in our region.
Nature Calls
The Palmerston North City Council are looking into how our waste water is managed and want us to have our say.
The council have a website (link below) where you can get more information about the “Nature Calls” project. To summarise, the projects is focused on how we treat and discharge the waste water we create, for up to the next 35 years.
There are 6 Options to choose from, each of them having their differences explained. Once you have read through the information, you can submit your most preferred through to least preferred online with the option to add more detail should you choose to. There are also a few frequently asked questions, information about public meetings and general information on the page so you can get a good idea of some of the key factors before making a decision.
Consultation is under way now, so if you want to have your say about how we should progress then you have until the 30th of June to do so.
https://www.pncc.govt.nz/naturecalls
Esplanade’s Cherry Lane
Now there are more people frequenting the Esplanade due to the completion of Central Energy Trust Wildbase Recovery and more traffic passing by to visit He Ara Kotaki, the PNCC are working on a project that combines making the Park Road & Cook Street intersection safer with the aid of traffic lights and a new Esplanade entry across from Cook Street. The idea is to keep the beautiful cherry trees in place and have pedestrian & cycle access on Park Road. The layout of the new entrance preferred by a majority of councilors includes parking bays for 17 cars and connects to the pre-existing road into the Esplanade.
Rates Increase
Palmerston North City Council has approved the draft 2020/21 Annual Budget increase of 1.95% after significant changes to its first draft. An earlier 4.4% increase was dropped following further reductions in operating costs. Council is set to adopt the Annual Budget on June 24. Once adopted, it will be available on the council’s website and at council offices for viewing. Ratepayers will also then be able to check online what their 2020/21 annual rates charge for each property will be. The council’s first draft budget went out for public consultation before the Covid-19 lockdown with a growth-targeted proposed 4.4 per cent increase, which was less than the 5.2 per cent projection in the 10 Year Plan.
