The council confirmed at a short meeting yesterday it would create a council-controlled organisation (CCO) to oversee its water operations.
The options had been discussed at a full council meeting on July 31 and through a casting vote from Mayor Glyn Lewers at that meeting it was decided to go with the CCO.
It received the rubber stamp from councillors yesterday.
The future CCO will be fully owned by the council but the organisation will be governed by its own independent specialist board and management.
The council would be the only shareholder and would appoint board members based on the skills and experience needed for proper governance of the new organisation.
In a report for yesterday’s meeting, council strategy and reform manager Pennie Pearce said over the next decade, average residential household charges for water supply, wastewater and stormwater were projected to rise from $1500 in 2024-25 to $4889 in 2033-34, reflecting the significant investment required to maintain, upgrade and expand water infrastructure.
"Despite these increases, water charges as a percentage of median household income are expected to remain within Department of Internal Affairs’ indicative target of 2.5%, rising from 1.1% to 2.3% over the same period," she wrote in the report.
"By comparison, the average electricity charge per household for Queenstown Lakes is currently $3542, representing 2.4% of the median income."
