Issues ahead for incoming council

Compared with its drama-laden first year, the current Gore District Council, and its mayor Ben Bell, have managed to stay relatively under the radar for the past two years. But they are not out of the woods yet.

Coming into the election, Gore residents are asking plenty of questions about their increasing rates, water schemes, amalgamation and the relationship between central and local government.

Fiscal responsibility will be the main issue for the next council, following another controversial rate rise announced earlier in the year.

Submissions on the council’s current long-term plan had the central theme of unaffordability, with many of the 531 submitters mentioning it was becoming increasingly hard to live in the district.

Even with a rates rise of 8.8% - which was significantly lower than the previous 24% rise - there is still a sense of unease among residents as keeping rises at that level can only be accomplished through debt funding and asset sales over the next 10 years.

The lion’s share of the increased expenses are related to roading and water schemes, which the council is finding itself increasingly fiscally responsible for.

Parks, recreation, the arts and heritage costs are also under the microscope, with the suggestion they are expensive luxuries the town cannot afford to maintain.

Departing councillors have said the increased responsibility load on local government has made their positions untenable as they find themselves increasingly forced into difficult decisions.

A sense of frustration at the pace of being able to effect change in local government, combined with an increasingly frustrated and irate community, has led to a feeling that the effort required is no longer worth it, in terms of representation.

The ongoing and constant upgrading and maintaining of water services are placing an ever-increasing burden on local government that has led to co-operative efforts with the Clutha and Central Otago district councils.

The Waitaki District Council declined to join the group over concerns about the scale of what is required.

Over all this hangs the question of amalgamation.

It is generally agreed something should be done about the number of councils in the Southland region, but questions over the scale of the reorganisation, the cost of it and how communities’ voices would be retained have been argued at length — and not answered.

Should it be the four councils changing to two unitary authorities, or is it better to redefine boundaries to include other places like Clutha to align with the ratepayers?

The Gore district will have their say about who they want to manage all of this come election time and even if these issues do not dominate the headlines, they will be simmering away in the background.