The council held a special meeting yesterday to start debating submissions to the plan, guided by 187 public submissions, 500 questionnaire responses, 150 people who were surveyed by the Clutha Youth Council and 400 responses from a telephone survey.
The hearing ran until noon and continues at 9am today.
Recycling will be phased in, with households to get a second wheelie bin for recycled goods that will be collected fortnightly.
But a planned green waste collection service is on hold for at least two years, for further investigation.
The council is poised to contribute up to $1.2 million towards a planned Clutha Recreation Centre facility in Balclutha but exactly who pays and how much will form part of today's debate.
Major repairs and improvements to the Balclutha Centennial Pool have been budgeted and will be carried out at the same time to minimise disruption to pool users.
Other issues of public interest, including plans to demolish the Balclutha bird aviary and to scrap funding for a community co-ordinator and museum curator will be debated today, when the hearing continues.
All of the recommendations from the meeting will be debated one final time when the council meets on June 25 to adopt the long-term plan.
Other main points were. -
• The council recommended 55% of the estimated $1.57 million cost of the new Lawrence pool be paid by ratepayers in the 2011-12 year. The money will be taken out as a 25-year loan.
• A harmonisation policy, which will see larger centres financially help small areas, such as Benhar and Tokoiti, pay for costly sewage treatment plants, is likely to be introduced.
• Improving the quality of the district's drinking water and swimming pool should be the council's main spending priorities but introducing a green waste collection and upgrading Balclutha's main street could wait, a survey of residents revealed.
