Queenstown Lakes Mayor Vanessa van Uden was yesterday applauded for steering the Queenstown Lakes District Council to its first unanimously supported annual plan in four years.
After the annual plan was adopted with full confidence in yesterday's council meeting, deputy chief executive-general manager of finance Stewart Burns told a grinning Ms van Uden: "This is the first annual plan in four years that was unanimous."
Along with the plan, the average overall rate increase seen by the district is 2.81%, a slight rise from draft plan's 2.74%, due to requests for additional funding.
Mr Burns said it was "an affordable and acceptable result for the community".
However, he said the loss of reinsurance for the QLDC's private insurance provider following the Christchurch earthquakes was a concern.
"We were informed last week that it was unable to be supported in the reinsurance market, which leaves us in a bit of a hole."
Due to insurance premium increases that may ensue, Mr Burns said price hikes "could have an input on the annual plan".
Cr Cath Gilmour asked Mr Burns whether the council was still covered for already-paid premiums if its provider was not reinsured.
"If they don't feel they can provide us the coverage, they have to send us a notice of cancellation," Mr Burns said, adding there was work to do in investigating the issue.
The council received a total of 403 submissions on the annual plan, 280 of which included responses to the issue of winter road-gritting services. Road-gritting levels of service for Crown Range Rd and other local roads were reinstated by increasing roading maintenance budgets by $275,660.
