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Budget
Committee
07 May 2015
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Long-term Plan
2015-2025 - Local Board update
File No.: CP2015/07478
Purpose
1. The purpose of this report is to
provide an update on the local board process to finalise the Long-term Plan
2015-2025 (LTP), and outline local proposals that require governing body
decisions to enable this process to continue.
Executive
Summary
2. Following LTP
consultation, briefing reports on local consultation feedback were provided to
local boards in April to inform advocacy and review local priorities.
3. Discussions
were held between the governing body and local boards on key consultation
feedback themes, advocacy and local issues prior to budget decisions being
made.
4. Following
budget decisions made on 7-8 May, local boards will finalise Local Board
Agreements 2015/2016, local fees and charges schedules for 2015/2016 and
10-year local budgets for the LTP. Meetings to adopt these are due between
9-16 June.
5. In reviewing
local priorities, three proposals have been identified by three local boards
where governing body approval is required to enable local boards to continue
developing their local board agreement. These proposals are outlined in Table
1 in this report.
6. The Community Grants Policy will be implemented from 1 July 2015, at
which time legacy grants schemes and multi-board committees
will be dissolved. New contestable grants programmes will be funded by
redistributing legacy council grants budgets.
7. It is
requested that the governing body approves the transfer of $3.2 million of
multi-board contestable grants funds to local board discretionary budgets, to
be allocated in alignment with the local boards funding policy. To date, these
funds have sat in regional budgets due to the nature of being multi-board
grants.
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Recommendation/s
That the Budget Committee:
a) approve local proposals
outlined in Table 1 to the agenda report noting that:
i) funding would be sourced
through local discretionary budgets;
ii) local boards have yet to make
final local budget decisions in June 2015.
b) approve the transfer of $3.2
million of multi-board contestable grants funds to local board discretionary
budgets, to be allocated in alignment with the local boards funding policy.
To date, these funds have sat in regional budgets due to the nature of being
multi-board grants.
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Comments
Process
8. In mid-April,
local boards received local consultation feedback briefing reports reflecting
views of each local board area. This information was used to support advocacy
and review local priorities.
9. Between 24 and
29 April, workshops were held between local boards and the governing body to
discuss key consultation feedback themes, advocacy and local issues.
10. Following budget
decisions made on 7 – 8 May, local boards will finalise Local Board Agreements
2015/2016 in workshops between 14 - 20 May. This includes a review of
priorities in light of consultation feedback, consideration of local activity
budgets, local fees and charges, local performance targets and allocation of
locally driven initiatives (LDI) funds.
11. Local boards
will also agree 10-year local budgets for the LTP.
12. Local boards
will meet between 9 – 16 June to adopt Local Board Agreements 2015/2016, local
activity budgets and local fees and charges schedules for 2015/2016.
Local budgets
13. The following
proposals have been requested by three local boards, but fall outside local
board decision-making responsibilities. These are key advocacy priorities, but
if funding is not included in final LTP budgets, the local boards plan to
allocate local discretionary budgets to fund the projects.
14. In alignment to
decision-making responsibilities, governing body approval on each proposal is
required to enable the local boards to continue planning budgets in May.
Table 1
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Local
Board
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Proposal
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Reason for
governing body approval
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Otara-Papatoetoe
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Develop Colin
Dale motorsport park using local discretionary funds of approximately $2.8
million capex.
Stage 1
(earthworks) commenced this financial year utilising existing funds, approved
on the basis that Stage 2 (main road construction and car park) would be
supported through local discretionary funds.
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Governing
body approval is required to allocate funds to major capital works and new
facilities.
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Rodney
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Develop
footpaths adjacent to roads in conjunction with Auckland Transport, using
local discretionary funds of approximately $2 million capex to top up
existing transport funds allocated to this area.
Auckland
Transport support this local board proposal.
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Auckland
Transport CCO is responsible for road sealing.
Governing
body approval is required to allocate funds to major capital works.
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Waiheke
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Provide a
capital grant of $1 million to support the development of a new swimming
pool, utilising local discretionary funds.
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Governing
body approval is required to allocate funds to major capital works and new
facilities.
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Total
Capex
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$5.8
million
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15. The Community Grants Policy will be implemented from 1 July 2015, at
which time legacy grants schemes and multi-board committees will be
dissolved. New contestable grants programmes will be funded by redistributing
legacy council grants budgets.
16. Local
boards were delegated responsibility to allocate $7.07 million per annum for
contestable grants purposes. Of this:
· $3.87 million related to individual grants which have been
included in local board discretionary budgets.
· $3.2 million was managed by multi-board committees and
currently sits in regional budgets due to the nature of being multi-board
grants.
17. It is requested that the governing body
approves the transfer of $3.2 million of multi-board contestable grants funds
to local board discretionary budgets, to be allocated in alignment with the
local boards funding policy.
18. Note
that in 2013/2014, $530,000 was allocated by multi-boards to regional groups to
achieve regional outcomes. A report on this agenda considers funding options
for regional grants, of which one option includes reallocating that portion of
multi-board funds to the regional grants programme.
19. To
enable local boards to finalise local board agreements for 2015/16, decisions
need to be made today by the Budget Committee on a local discretionary capex
fund and the transfer of multi-board contestable community grants funds to
local discretionary budgets.
Consideration
Local
Board views and implications
20. Local board views and advocacy
were expressed through a number of workshops held between local boards and the
governing body on 24, 28 and 29 April.
21. A summary of advocacy, key consultation
feedback themes and local priorities is outlined in the Local Board Advocacy
report on the agenda for this meeting. These should be considered when making
final budget decisions.
Māori
impact statement
22. Many local board
decisions are of importance to and impact on Maori. Local board agreements and
long-term plans are important tools that enable and can demonstrate council’s
responsiveness to Maori. Local board plans, which were developed in 2014
through engagement with the community including Maori, form the basis of local
priorities.
23. The Local Board
Agreements for 2015/2016 each comment on how the agreement supports Maori
transformational shift outcomes.
24. There is a need to continue to build relationships between local boards
and iwi, and where relevant the wider Māori community. Ongoing
conversations will assist local boards and Māori to understand each
other’s priorities and issues. This in turn can influence and encourage
Māori participation in council’s decision-making processes. In particular,
local board plans and budget decisions made today will influence future annual
plans and local board agreements for 2015/2016 and beyond.
Implementation
25. Following budget decisions being
made today, local boards will finalise their allocation of discretionary
locally driven initiatives (LDI) funds to projects and finalise local board
agreements for 2015/2016.
26. Local boards are meeting to adopt
Local Board Agreements 2015/16 and local fees and charges schedules between 9 –
16 June.
Attachments
There are no attachments for
this report.
Signatories
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Authors
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Kate Marsh - Financial Planning Manager - Local Boards
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Authorisers
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Matthew Walker - General Manager Financial Plan Policy
& Budgeting
Sue Tindal - Chief Financial Officer
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