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 per cent rates increase.

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

“We’ve listened and we want to keep talking to the community about what’s driving the rates rises,” 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’ve been asked many tough questions, but they’ve also listened to the very real concerns that people have about the rate increase. 

There is a lot of information on the Annual Plan consultation page on Let’s Talk, but sometimes people prefer to have a chat. 

The online session scheduled for May 15 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)