Annual Plan FAQs

Submissions have re-opened and can now be made between Wednesday 8 May and 12 noon on Wednesday 15 May 2024.

You can present again on 16 May only if you have new information to present.  You would not be able to present the same information again.

Our Annual Plan sets out what we aim to achieve in the next financial year.

We are consulting on the proposed rates increase, a proposed increase to community housing rent, and a proposed hockey turf replacement.

Submissions have re-opened and can now be made between Wednesday 8 May and 12 noon on Wednesday 15 May 2024.

Anyone can make a submission, but you can present again on 16 May only if you have new information to present.

Submissions have re-opened and can now be made between Wednesday 8 May and 12 noon on Wednesday 15 May 2024.

• You can make a submission via the online form.
• All DCC libraries and service centres.

Yes you can. You can tell us which organisation on the submission form. It is up to you to get the right sign off from your organisation to represent their collective view.

If you have already made a submission, you can make a new submission only if you have additional information to present.

You can:

• upload it with your online submission.
• send with your paper submission.
• bring it to our Customer Service Centre at 50 The Octagon, Dunedin.

Yes it will. All submissions form part of a report to Council. This will include your name, your feedback and postcode. We won’t publish your email or telephone number.

That is fine – we will still accept your submission without your name. If you want to attend a Hearing and speak to Councillor we will need a name, phone number and email.

We want to know which area you live in so we know where in Dunedin our engagement is reaching.

A public hearing on submissions is being held on May 8-9 for people to speak to Council about their submission. Additional speaking slots will now be available on 16 May. Council will then deliberate. They will then make any revisions before the Annual Plan is adopted by 30 June 2024.

The Councillors will read the feedback and take it into consideration as they make their final decisions.

No, the new kerbside collection service is already being rolled out - Find a full list of kerbside FAQs

It’s an opportunity for members of the public to speak directly to Councillors. It is in an open, public session that is live streamed via YouTube, and it is likely media will be there. Hearings on 8 and 9 May 2024 will be followed by an additional hearing on 16 May.

No, you do not need to present at the Hearings unless you wish to. To speak at a Hearing tick the box on the submission form and select your preferred time.

It depends on the volume of requests to speak. Two to five minutes is likely, with two minutes of question time from Councillors.

Yes, if you have an internet connection you can attend online and present to Councillors.

Yes, that is likely.

Deliberations will happen in late May and early June at Council meetings. A final decision to adopt the Annual Plan will happen at a Council meeting before June 30 2024. You can watch our meetings on YouTube or attend in person. You can find our upcoming livestreams on YouTube. Keep an eye on our YouTube page as new livestream links are added regularly.

We had been busy working on a 2024-2034 Long Term Plan, but given the recent repeal of 3 Waters legislation, the Government have said that Councils can do an annual plan instead for this coming year. This is due to uncertainty about the future funding and structure of 3 Waters. As 3 Waters is a significant part of our Council budget, Dunedin City Council decided to do an annual plan this year, as this gives us an opportunity next year to develop a long-term plan with more certainty.

A nine-year plan process will begin December 2024, to cover the period 2025-34. Timeframes will then return to normal when the next 10 year plan process is held, as originally scheduled, in 2027-28.

Rates, along with other sources of funding and revenue, are used to fund the Dunedin City Council’s work, and are based on the capital value, land use and location of rateable properties.

Our costs for delivering services and activities have increased. They include things like increased energy costs to run our pools and other facilities, insurance costs, and new costs such as compliance monitoring to meet water quality standards. Plus, we have some new services like the kerbside rubbish collection starting in July 2024.

In the 2021-2031 Long Term Plan we consulted and agreed on our new kerbside rubbish collection. Property owners cannot opt out of the service. As with services like city libraries and public pools, this new service was strongly demanded by the public. It is up to you whether you use Council services or not, but your rates help pay for these activities. The new kerbside collection service also means you won’t have to buy DCC black plastic rubbish bags anymore. Find a full list of kerbside FAQs

Prices are going up across the board, and this also impacts the Council’s budgets. To keep delivering the services our residents value, we need raise rates to help pay for them.

Much of the work we do is required for us to meet our obligations as a council. With inflation and interest rates rising, postponing work now could lead to increased costs later – including additional project planning costs. Much of our work is also focused on restoration and maintaining the services we already have. Cancelling work on these projects would mean infrastructure deteriorates with negative effects for our communities. This work would also be exponentially more costly to remedy later.

Yes:

• Staff numbers have reduced.
• Projects have been deferred.
• Service levels have been reviewed.

Council has trimmed many of its budgets while still retaining the amenities that residents want

We have options for paying your rates in smaller amounts, like a weekly or fortnightly direct debit payment. More information can be found on the Paying your rates page, or call us on 03 477 4000 to discuss.

An 11% increase in rent would cover the increased cost to operate the portfolio including rates, insurance, and interest. Tenants are being consulted with directly and as part of consultation on 2024-2025 Annual Plan.

Council asked staff to work with Otago Hockey to investigate options for the replacement of the hockey turfs and bring these options back to be considered. The preferred option is for Council to take on the hockey fields, borrow some money to replace the turfs and then lease the new fields back to the Otago Hockey Association.

You can email or call a Councillor – you can find their contact details on our Mayor and Councillors pages. You can also attend one of our Farmers Market, Civic Centre or Community Board drop-in sessions.