Agenda of Council Meeting

30 April 2020

8.1 Phase 1 - Sustain Community Support Package

Author: Mark de Haast, Group Manager

Authoriser: Wayne Maxwell, Chief Executive

Purpose of Report

1 The purpose of this report is to retrospectively seek Council’s formal approval of the Phase 1 - Sustain Community Support Package, publicly released on Thursday 9 April 2020.

Delegation

2 The Council has the delegation to consider and approve this report.

Background

3 In response to COVID-19, the Council’s Emergency Operating Centre (Kāpiti EOC) commenced operating in a limited stand-up mode on the 21 March 2020. New Zealand was placed on Alert Level 4, for a period of at least four weeks, on the 25 March 2020 and a National State of Emergency for COVID-19 was declared on the same day.

4 In addition, the Kāpiti EOC “light” was activated on 25 March 2020 and the Council moved to operating a virtual EOC from the 27 March 2020, with staff working remotely from their homes.

5 All non-essential businesses, worksites and facilities have been closed, including schools. Public transport services have been reduced to cater primarily for essential service workers and people are required to stay at home.

6 On 17 March, Finance Minister Grant Robertson outlined a $12.1 billion package to support New Zealanders, their jobs and businesses from the impact of COVID-19. On 23 March 2020, the Minister announced significant further support for the economy, workers and businesses, including removal of the cap on the Government’s wage subsidy scheme which will inject a further $4 billion into the economy over the next eleven weeks. The economic response package includes:

· Initial $500 million boost for health.

· $5.1 billion in wage subsidies for affected businesses in all sectors and regions.

· $126 million in COVID-19 leave and self-isolation support.

· $2.8 billion income support package for our most vulnerable, including a permanent $25 per week benefit increase and a doubling of the Winter Energy Payment for 2020.

· $100 million re-deployment package.

· $2.8 billion in business tax changes to free up cash-flow, including a provisional tax threshold lift, the reinstatement of building depreciation and writing-off interest on the late payment of tax.

· $600 million initial aviation support package.

7 Subsequent Government support announcements have also been made by the Minister since the 23 March 2020. It is not the intention of this report to detail the Government’s financial support packages for people and families, businesses and Māori Communities but rather, to raise an awareness that financial support and assistance is available from the Government. More detailed information can be found at the following website: www.covid19.govt.nz

THE COuncil’s MULTI STAGE Community Support PACKAGE

8 In addition to the Governments support package(s), the Council must also play a leading role in supporting its community. In doing so, the Council cannot afford to empty its “community support toolkit” too early and is therefore applying a three-pronged approach to best help the community to overcome COVID-19, being to “sustain”, to “restore” and then to “rebuild”.

9 Councillors and Community Board Chairpersons attended an informal virtual discussion briefing with Officers on Tuesday 7 April 2020. At this briefing, a multi-staged support package to help the district withstand the economic and social challenges expected from COVID-19 was agreed in-principle.

10 On Thursday 9 April 2020, the Council announced its Phase 1 – Sustain Community Support Package, to assist social and economic recovery for the Kāpiti district. For those struggling financially due to COVID-19, Phase 1 – Sustain Community Support Package includes:

· Remove rates late payment penalties for property and water rates until 30 June 2020.

· Provide a six month rates payment holiday (deferral) for rates (property and water) instalments falling due between 1 March 2020 to 30 June 2020, provided a 12 to 24-month payment plan is established).

· Waive rent payments for three months for major tenants.

· Committing to paying suppliers faster, now aiming for seven-day payment terms, instead of the 20^th of the month following the date of the invoice.

· Offer up to 90-day credit terms for customer invoices (non-rates).

· Refund consent deposits and fees if an applicant applies to withdraw their application.

· Refund a quarter of fees for food, alcohol and outdoor dining licenses fully paid in 2019/20.

· Increase weighting for local businesses in procurement processes.

· Allow Community Boards to repurpose unallocated discretionary grants for 2019/20 to COVID-19 response initiatives, and establish a framework to expedite approvals and payments.

· Allow flexibility to repurpose remaining social investment grants in 2019/20 as appropriate.

· Extend existing library book loans by six weeks (provided to all book loans).

11 Those struggling financially due to COVID-19 can apply for assistance offered by the Phase 1 – Sustain Community Support package either by registering online at https://www.kapiticoast.govt.nz/our-district/cdem/covid-19/support-package/ or contact the Council directly on either (04) 296-4700 or 0800 486 486 to register.

12 A dedicated Council email address has also been established and will be the main channel (together with phone and video conferencing) for Officers to communicate with people that have either registered for assistance are who may be interested in finding out more information.

13 At the time of writing this report, 18 applications for assistance from the Phase 1 - Sustain Community Support Package had been received, broken down as follows:

· 9 persons have applied for a rates payment holiday;

· 3 persons have applied for a part refund for food, alcohol and/or outdoor dining licenses,

· 1 major tenant has applied for a three month rent waiver;

· 4 businesses have registered themselves as local; and

· 1 person required essential welfare assistance and was referred to the Kāpiti EOC.

FURTHER COMMUNITY SUPPORT

14 The Council remains focused on supporting the national response to COVID-19 and the health and wellbeing of Council staff and the Kāpiti Coast community.  Officers are continuing to connect with essential services, community, volunteer and church groups to help identify what support they may need and to provide a point of coordination.

15 The Council’s welfare support helpline (0800 486 486) is operational for people who have no local support (whanau, friends or neighbours) to help them access essential goods and services. At the time of writing this report, 71 needs assessments have been undertaken for Kāpiti since 26 March 2020 (this includes calls made to the WREMO helpline). The team has reported that people contacting the helpline have complex needs, with the average call lasting around 40 minutes. The team also notes that a number of people contacting our helpline have been referred to us by the Ministry of Social Development.

CONSIDERATIONS

Policy Considerations

16 There are no policy concerns arising from this report.

Legal considerations

17 There are no significant legal issues arising from the Phase 1 – Sustain Community Support Package.

18 The fees payable to territorial authorities for the various licences, that are required to allow the sale of alcohol, are set by regulations made under the Sale and Supply of Liquor Act 2012. While there is a regulation making power that allows for regulations to be made to provide for the full or partial waiver of fees in the case of financial hardship, no such regulations have currently been made. Legal Counsel has considered the matter and is of a view that a strong case can be made that the Council is able to refund alcohol licensing fees in these circumstances. There is a low risk of this decision being challenged.

Financial considerations

19 Repurposing of Community Board grants and other social investment grants will be funded from within existing 2019/20 budgets and will not represent an additional cost to the Council beyond 30 June 2020.

20 At the time of writing this report, data to demonstrate the actual uptake of the Government’s support package(s) by the district was not available.

21 Therefore, Officers cannot accurately determine the likely uptake and cost of the Phase 1 -Sustain Community Support package. It is estimated that this may cost in the order of $233,000, primarily being borrowing costs as the cash-shortfalls resulting from the phase 1 support package will need to be funded from borrowings.

22 The extent and nature of subsequent support packages “restore” and “rebuild” will be influenced by the uptake and cost of the phase 1 support package.

Tāngata whenua considerations

23 The Phase 1 – Sustain Community Support Package is available to the district.

24 Local iwi are currently in various phases of planning and implementing their COVID-19 pandemic response plans and are being supported by the welfare function within the EOC and Council’s Iwi Partnerships Team

25 Council Officers have worked in partnership with Te Whakaminenga o Kāpiti to repurpose their unspent 2019/20 budget. $30,000 has been provided to each iwi to assist them to deliver their COVID-19 pandemic response plans and begin recovery planning.

Other considerations

26 Subsequent “restore” and “rebuild” community support packages will be investigated once Council better understands COVID-19 impacts and the outcomes of the phase 1 sustain package. Likely areas to further investigate will include, for example, additional business support, a community welfare fund and 2020/21 budget re-purposing.

Significance and Engagement

Significance policy

27 Council’s significance and engagement policy does not trigger any requirements to consult and/or engage with the community before initiating its multi-stage community support packages.

Publicity

28 A media advisory was issued on Thursday 9 April 2020, informing the district of the Council’s multi stage community support package. Under Alert level 4, community newspapers and editorial are not essential services and could not be used by the Council.

Recommendations

29 The Council notes and receives this report.

30 The Council formally approves the Council’s commitment to a multi-stage (sustain, restore, rebuild) community support package approach to best support the Community to get through COVID-19.

31 The Council formally considers and approves the Phase 1 - Sustain Community Support Package, set out in paragraph 10 of this report, following an agreement in principle on Tuesday 7 April 2020.

32 The Council notes that the costs of the Phase 1 - Sustain Community Support package cannot be accurately determined.

33 The Council notes that staff will develop both the “restore” and “rebuild” community support packages for future consideration by the Council once the impacts of COVID-19 are better understood.

Appendices

Nil

Council Meeting Agenda

30 April 2020

8.2 2020/21 Draft Annual Plan

Author: Chris Pearce, Manager, Corporate Planning & Reporting

Authoriser: Wayne Maxwell, Chief Executive

Purpose of Report

1 This report summarises the development of the draft 2020/21 Annual Plan (draft Annual Plan) up to the beginning of March 2020, and how the Council has revised the draft Annual Plan since then, in direct response to COVID-19.

2 The report seeks Council approval of the draft work programme, budget, and fees and charges for 2020/21, as well as a number of financial adjustments proposed by Officers to reduce the draft average rates increase. Note that the final Annual Plan is scheduled for adoption on 25 June 2020.

3 The report also seeks Council’s approval for the proposed approach to not formally consult the community about the Annual Plan.

Delegation

4 Only Council may approve components of an Annual Plan as stated under Section 2A(1) of the Governance Structure and Delegations:

“… only Council may perform the following: To lead the development of the LTP and Annual Plan, together with policies and budgets.”

Background

5 The Local Government Act 2012 (the LGA) requires councils’ to prepare and adopt an Annual Plan before setting their rates, for each financial year in between their Long Term Plans.

6 The Toitū Kāpiti Long Term Plan 2018-38 (LTP) adopted in June 2018 set the Council’s strategic direction for three years, and the significant decisions about the Council’s work programme for 2020/21 have already been made and consulted on in that context. The starting point for the draft Annual Plan for 2020/21 is therefore year three of the LTP.

7 The primary planning assumption underpinning the development of the Annual Plan is that the Council is focused on delivering the third and final year of the 2018-38 LTP.

8 Where there are significant or material differences between the LTP and the draft Annual Plan then Council must consult on these proposed changes. Examples of material differences include changes to existing levels of service, significant new expenditure which has not previously been signalled in the LTP, or changes to the limits in the Council’s financial strategy.

9 The LGA section 95(2A) allows councils flexibility when engaging with the community on an Annual Plan, provided that it contains no significant or material differences from the content of the Long Term Plan in the year to which it relates.

10 There are no significant new spending proposals or changes in service levels proposed in the draft Annual Plan for 2020/21. Therefore, it is proposed that Council does not formally consult on the Annual Plan but undertakes an information campaign to inform the community of the draft Annual Plan and provides opportunity for people to give their feedback to the Council. Further detail on the recommendation to not formally consult is provided at paragraphs 72 to 76 of this report.

11 Note that there are some minor adjustments proposed to the 2020/21 budget which are summarised at paragraph 27 of this report.

12 The LGA also requires Council not to duplicate information that is already contained in the existing Long Term Plan for the year that the draft Annual Plan relates, and which is not proposed to be changed through the Annual Plan.

13 Following a review of the Annual Plan in light of the COVID-19 situation, a number of financial adjustments are proposed that will enable the Council to keep average rates increases as low as possible. The most impactful of these adjustments are the removal of inflation from operating budgets, and maintaining the level of non-funded depreciation (instead of reducing it). The draft average rates increase for 2020/21 resulting from these changes is 2.6% (lower than 3.8% forecast in the LTP).

14 The total amount of the capital works programme will be capped at $38 million (being the upper limit of the financial strategy) and the Council’s net borrowings are planned to be $166 million or 187% of Council’s operating income at 30 June 2021. This is below the level forecast in the 2018-38 LTP. All three key elements of Council’s finances – rates, capital expenditure and borrowings – remain within the parameters set in the financial strategy adopted with the LTP in June 2018.

Draft Annual Plan development process

15 In preparing the draft Annual Plan, Council Officers applied the following planning assumptions:

· Service levels will remain as outlined in the Long Term Plan;

· Quantified limits on rates and borrowings will remain as per the financial strategy;

· Long term goals and 10 year outcomes will remain; and

· No changes to the Revenue and Financing Policy.

16 Officers made several revisions of the draft budget for 2020/21 in late 2019, incorporating all identified adjustments to account for new legislation and new regulations from central government including new requirements for reporting on drinking water safety, and rises in the costs of inflation and the cost of replacing and maintaining the district’s assets.

17 Elected Members attended workshops on 11, 13, 27 February and 3,10 March 2020 where Officers presented the draft budget and main focus areas for each activity, the fees and charges schedule. The workshops were open to the public and a representative from Grey Power attended these.

18 During the workshops on 27 February and 3 March 2020, Community Boards presented their priorities to Councillors and a number of proposals from the Community Boards were included in a prioritisation exercise.

19 At the 10 March workshop, Council finalised their prioritisation of items for inclusion in the draft Annual Plan and Officers then commenced drafting of a consultation document for Council’s consideration and adoption on 2 April 2020 to seek community views on the proposed changes to the 2020/21 Annual Plan.

20 At that point, the key financial information that was proposed to underpin the consultation document was an average rates increase of 5.7%, and a capital programme totalling $39.5 million.

Impacts of COVID-19 on the draft Annual Plan

21 As the COVID-19 situation emerged, it became clear that Council needed to revisit both the timeline for the Annual Plan and the proposed average rates increase. As such, the 2 April 2020 meeting to adopt the consultation document was cancelled and a briefing was scheduled for 7 April 2020 to discuss potential Annual Plan scenarios.

22 A further briefing was held on 16 April 2020 to discuss options for reducing rates and providing further assistance to residents and businesses who may be facing difficulty as a result of the COVID-19 situation.

Issues and Options

Issues

23 This section discusses the following key issues for the 2020/21 Annual Plan:

· Major capital projects planned in 2020/21;

· Key drivers of the rates increase for 2020/21;

· Additional items proposed during Annual Plan workshops (prior to COVID-19 review);

· Review of the draft Annual Plan after COVID-19;

· Proposed options to reduce the average rates increase;

· Risks of the proposed options to reduce rates;

· The 2020/21 Capital Works Programme;

· Further budget reviews planned;

· Risks in achieving a zero percent rates increase; and

· Recommendation to not formally consult.

Major capital projects planned in 2020/21

24 The following table outlines the major capital projects planned for 2020/21 which had already been signalled in the LTP and therefore are presented as information only; Council is not required to approve these projects through the Annual Plan process.

Activity/project	Description	Capital cost ($000)
Drinking water safety and resilience	Start Hautere/Te Horo drinking water safety upgrades.	1,300
	Complete upgrade of Ōtaki water treatment plant.	3,600
	Continue to deliver the Waikanae Stage 2 treatment plant.	1,700
Wastewater	Complete inlet works for Paraparaumu wastewater treatment plant	1,700
Stormwater	Start stormwater projects to protect homes from flooding and improve downstream flow. This includes: Kena Kena asset upgrades; Moa Road flood wall; upgrades for Riwai Street, Sunshine Avenue and Titoki Street; Kakariki Stream and Amohia Street stage 1 stream works; Amohia catchment diversion stage 1 and Otaki Beach stage 2; and asset renewals in Paraparaumu catchment.	4,700
Access and Transport	Continue SH1 revocation works.	1,400
Access and Transport	Increase footpath renewals due to additional NZ Transport Agency funding.	1,700
Paekākāriki seawall rebuild	Begin the tender process for the construction contract.	160
Otaraua Park development	Begin construction of stage 1 including an amenity block - $1.5 million over the next two years.	700
Kāpiti Island Gateway Centre	Complete design and other preparatory work for the building of the Gateway.	250

Key drivers of the rates increase for 2020/21

25 In addition to the work programme already included in the LTP, a number of amendments to the draft operating budget for the 2020/21 Annual Plan were proposed in workshops 1 & 2 (February 11 & 13).

26 These amendments reflect Council’s response to several changes in the operating environment, including new central government requirements (proposed new water regulations), and increased costs of managing assets.

27 The items were proposed prior to the COVID-19 situation and are still considered necessary for the Council to continue delivering services at current levels throughout 2020/21. These items are listed in the following table.

Activity/project	Description / reason for change	Cost ($000)
Total 2019/20 rates revenue (water & property rates)		68,951
Water supply	Increase funding to prepare for requirements of increased regulation and reporting as part of the Drinking Water & Safety resilience programme	83
Economic Development	Additional funding for Provincial Growth Fund liaison and to ensure Elevate Ōtaki support is budgeted.	110
Community Facilities	Increase the level of maintenance on our housing portfolio	78
Community Facilities	Additional net cost increase to manage Waikanae Library medium term solution	40
Parks & Open Spaces	Additional costs to carry out parks maintenance and operations including new reserves to maintain, and CWB work on local routes.	232
Parks & Open Spaces	Reduced lease revenue budget to align with current levels (top-up to now be funded by rates).	58
Recreation & Leisure	Reflect actual resourcing requirements and revenue levels, and ensure adequate library casual staffing budget.	192
Coastal Adaptation	Additional funding required to deliver the community-led coastal adaptation programme.	300
Governance	Increased remuneration for Elected Members (as required by the Remuneration Authority).	124
Asset Management Improvement	Increased resourcing to focus on asset management improvement recommendations.	190
Information & Communications	Deliver increased ICT capability as part of ICT Strategy implementation.	200
Subtotal		1,607

Additional items proposed during Annual Plan workshops (prior to COVID-19 review)

28 Since the LTP was developed, several of the challenges identified for the district have become more pressing – for example, difficulties for people getting into affordable housing and the effects of climate change.

29 At the workshop on 27 February 2020, Council considered a number of potential additional inclusions in the 2020/21 annual plan that would increase its focus on some of the social and environmental challenges facing the district. In addition, items were put forward for consideration by Paekākāriki, Paraparaumu-Raumati, and Waikanae Community Boards. The Ōtaki Community Board also presented its items for consideration at the following workshop on 3 March.

30 At the workshop on 3 March 2020, Elected Members worked in groups to prioritise the full list of potential options into categories:

A. items to be included in the draft Annual Plan;

B. items to be excluded from the draft Annual Plan but to seek the community’s views on whether to include them; and

C. Items to be excluded from the Annual Plan and revisited during the development of the long term plan later in the year.

31 The items that were prioritised to be included in the draft Annual Plan (category A) following the workshop on 3 March 2020 are listed in the following table.

Additional activity/project	Description / reason for change	Operating cost ($000)	Capital cost ($000)
Response to climate emergency	Waste minimisation – install four public recycling stations.	20	40
Response to climate emergency	Reduce carbon emissions – purchase up to six electric vehicles for the Council fleet.	-	300
Housing access and affordability	Increase ability to deliver recommendations in the Housing Needs and Opportunities Assessment.	200	-
Housing access and affordability	Increase strategic property purchase budget by up to $2m to respond to growth pressures.	-	2,000
Response to Localism	Provide each Community Board with additional funding for community projects.	80	40
Waikanae Library design	Increase the Waikanae Library capital budget to allow design of a new building to be commenced in 2020/21.	-	400
Ngā Manu Nature Reserve	Co-fund Provincial Growth Fund bid to upgrade Ngā Manu visitor centre.	50	-
Ōtaki Civic Theatre	Install a disabled toilet in the Civic Theatre.	-	50
Haruatai Park signage	Install navigational signage at Haruatai Park, Ōtaki.	-	10
Subtotal		350	2,840

32 At the workshop on 10 March 2020, Elected Members finalised the categorisation of proposed additional items and reviewed changes to the fees and charges schedule for 2020/21 proposed by Officers.

33 The proposed changes to fees and charges included an overall inflation increase of 2.3% applied to all fees, as well as adjustments to some individual fees. The impact of the changes to fees and charges would have reduced the total amount of rates revenue required by approximately $215,000.

34 The sum total of the above changes proposed through the workshops would have resulted in a draft average rates increase of 5.7% and a proposed capital works programme totalling $39.5 million. This would have exceeded the limits on rates increases and capital expenditure in Council’s financial strategy. As this triggered the need to first consult with the community, Councillors tasked Officers with drafting a consultation document to seek the community’s views on the draft Annual Plan.

Review of the draft Annual Plan after COVID-19

35 In mid-March 2020, the Government began taking major steps to address the threat of the COVID-19 pandemic in New Zealand, and on 27 March 2020, the Alert Level 4 lockdown took effect causing significant disruption to the economic, social and cultural environments across the country.

36 As noted in the Treasury economic scenarios report released on 14 April 2020, the COVID-19 pandemic is a ‘once in a century’ event that will have profound impacts on economic and financial systems globally and in New Zealand. The local government sector is not immune to such impacts which will vary around the country, though the specific impacts to the Kāpiti Coast District are still uncertain and may not be fully understood for some time.

37 Council acknowledges that the impacts of COVID-19 mean that a greater proportion of households and businesses may face financial hardship. With this in mind, Council took the opportunity to briefly pause the Annual Plan development and review the proposed level of rates as well as explore options for providing support to affected parts of the community.

38 Briefings were held on 7 and 16 April 2020 for Officers and Elected Members to discuss revisions to the 2020/21 Annual Plan in the context of the COVID-19 situation, with the intention of limiting the financial impact on households and businesses. The briefings were held via video link and were attended by Councillors and Community Board Chairs.

39 At the briefing on 7 April, Officers presented three scenario options for progressing the 2020/21 Annual Plan for Council’s consideration:

1) Status quo. Proceed with consultation on a 5.7% average rates increase. This option was not recommended by Officers due to the likelihood that the increase would be considered unaffordable for some households, and the timeframes required to formally consult may substantially delay the adoption of the Annual Plan.

2) Revert to year three of the LTP. Adopt an Annual Plan with no significant or material changes from year three of the LTP, noting that the average rates increase for 2020/21 as forecast in the LTP was 3.8%.

3) Propose an average rates increase as close to zero percent as possible.

Council gave in-principle direction to Officers to progress with option 2 and to come back to Council with options for reducing the rates increase as much as possible.

Proposed options to reduce the average rates increase

40 At the briefing on 16 April (via video conference), Officers presented Council with a range of options to reduce the rates increase down from the 5.7% at 10 March workshop. The full list of options would have the impact of reducing the rates increase down to 2.6%. This also included the Community Support Package (detailed by way of a separate report to Council at its meeting to be held on the 30 April 2020).

41 Each of the options is listed in the following table with its impacts on rates and capital expenditure. Below the table, risks of each option are discussed.

Description / reason for change	Cost ($000)	Rates impact	Capex ($000)
Amend growth assumption to reflect actual rating unit growth as at 31 March 2020.	-	+0.3%	-
Fund support package - rates holiday option (estimated additional interest)	233	+0.3%	-
Remove additional items proposed at 10 March (refer table at paragraph 31), including interest savings on capex no longer required.	(428)	-0.6%	(2,840)
Inflation - remove allowance for inflationary increases in our operating costs.	(1,270)	-1.9%	-
Fix all fees at current 2019/20 levels - including water rates	240	+0.3%	-
Recovery Funding - to allow us to sustain and rebuild our Community	250	0.3%	-
No additional depreciation funding in 2020/21 (keep at $3.1m as per 2019/20 and not $2.3m that was planned previously)	(1,215)	-1.8%	-
Reduce capital spending from $41 million to no more than $38 million, to remain within the financial strategy limits.	-	-	(1,200)
Subtotal	(2,190)	-3.1%	(4,040)

Risks of the proposed options to reduce rates

Growth assumption adjustment

42 Prior to the COVID-19 situation, growth in rateable properties in 2020/21 was assumed at 0.7%. In reviewing the growth assumption, Officers propose using actual growth in rateable properties to 31 March 2020 of 0.4%, as it is now uncertain whether future planned growth will occur as expected.

43 Note that the level of growth does not affect the total amount of rates to be collected by Council, but reducing the assumed level of growth means that the total rates revenue requirement will be shared over a fewer number of properties in the district, thereby increasing the average rates increase per property.

44 If further growth does occur between now and the adoption of the Annual Plan in June, this number will be revised.

Community support package

45 Offering more support to ratepayers is a ‘must do’ to sustain the community’s economic and social wellbeing. Council would potentially lose public trust and confidence if it does not offer this support to its community.

46 An initial community support package was publicly announced on the 9^th of April 2020. Details of the community support package and its implications are discussed in a separate report included in the agenda of this meeting.

Items added at 10 March workshop

47 How the district will operate following the easing of COVID-19 lockdown restrictions is largely unknown at this stage and it is not prudent to assume that all Council work programmes will resume as anticipated.

48 Excluding these items still leaves some budget remaining to progress waste minimisation and carbon emission reduction initiatives, to address housing access and affordability issues, and to progress development of a long-term solution for the Waikanae Library.

49 Ngā Manu Nature Reserve is continuing to progress its Visitor Centre application with the Provincial Growth Fund. For now, Council cannot commit to co-funding this project but will continue to monitor the situation.

No increase to fees and charges in 2020/21

50 It is proposed to make no increases to the fees and charges schedule, including no inflationary increases, and there are three fees that are proposed to be reduced.

51 The fees proposed to be reduced are:

51.1 Best seller books and DVD hireage - reduce current fees by 50% to encourage greater usage and to reflect impact of other media streams. Best Seller $2.50 and DVD’s $2.

51.2 Outdoor dining renewal fee – reduce by 50% to $95.

51.3 Marginal and temporary exemptions in relation to temporary events (as defined by the District Plan) – proposed to be nil.

52 In light of COVID-19, Council could potentially suffer both financial risk (through reduced use of user pays services) and potential loss of public trust and confidence if it seeks to increase fees and user charges above the 2019/20 levels.

53 Officers would not recommend this option if it were not for COVID-19.

54 Note that the fees and charges schedule is planned to be adopted on 28 May 2020; an earlier date than the Annual Plan adoption to allow Council to begin invoicing for dog registration from June.

No increase to fixed and variable water rates

55 The actual costs of supplying potable water is proposed to not be fully rates funded and the shortfall will be funded by borrowings. The water account deficit will now likely take 3-5 years to fully recover to nil.

56 Again, in light of COVID-19, Council could suffer a potential loss of public trust and confidence if it seeks to increase water rates at this stage. This may also help alleviate some unwarranted concerns that extra handwashing will significantly increase water rates.

57 Officers would not recommend this option if it were not for COVID-19.

Remove inflation (local government cost index (LGCI)) from all expenditure budgets

58 Embedded in certain Council contracts is the obligation to increase service payments by inflation each year. Removing inflation from all costs restricts Council’s ability to fulfil these contractual commitments. This will either result in reduced work to fit available budgets, or additional funding will be required by budget reprioritisation (potential other planned work programme impacts) and/or increased borrowings.

59 In light of COVID-19, Council could potentially suffer both financial risk and potential loss of public trust and confidence if it seeks to increase costs by LGCI (further exacerbating the debate between LGCI and Consumer Price Index (CPI)).

60 Officers would not recommend this option if it were not for COVID-19.

Remove additional depreciation funding to close the non-funded depreciation gap

61 Every $1 of depreciation that is not rates funded is funded from borrowings. These borrowings accumulate and increase net borrowing costs which contributes to increased rates.

62 Council has a significant three waters replacement capital works programme from around 2040 and the Council’s financial strategy, to reduce debt to create the headroom necessary to borrow money for these renewals, relies on fully funding depreciation as quickly as possible.

63 This option will slow down Council’s planned transition to fully funding depreciation and will increase borrowings in the short term from what was originally planned. It is important to note that despite this, Council’s net borrowings are planned to be lower than the level forecast in the LTP.

64 Officers would not recommend this option if it were not for COVID-19.

The 2020/21 Capital Works Programme

65 The total draft capital expenditure budget for 2020/21 is $36.7 million. This is based on our current understanding of the current year’s work in progress and further reviews are being undertaken before the final Annual Plan is adopted in June.

66 Council has submitted projects to Crown Infrastructure Partners (CIP) to be considered for Government funding by the Infrastructure Industry Reference Group. If any of Council’s projects are successful in receiving funding from the Government, Officers will discuss the implications with Council. The submissions to CIP will be detailed in a future report to Council.

Further budget reviews planned

67 It should be noted that the impacts of COVID-19 on the Kāpiti Coast community are dynamic and the full impacts will not be known for some time. In acknowledgement of this, Officers will undertake further reviews of the 2020/21 budget as the COVID-19 situation develops to determine whether any further reductions to the rates increase can be achieved.

68 Officers will present Council with any additional rates reduction proposals at the Council meeting scheduled for 4 June 2020 for Council’s consideration, in advance of adopting the final Annual Plan on 25 June 2020.

69 During the 2020/21 year, Officers will continue to monitor the COVID-19 situation to determine whether any budgets should be reviewed to identify potential reallocations.

Risks in achieving a zero percent rates increase

70 Council acknowledges that there will be some people in the community wanting to know whether Council can further reduce the additional rates requirement to nil.

71 If Council were to achieve a zero percent rates increase, it would most likely do so by debt funding necessary expenditure resulting in more expensive ‘catch-up’ rates in future years, or by significantly reducing levels of service. Reducing expenditure further in 2020/21 may also limit the role that Council will need to play in assisting the community to recover from the impacts of COVID-19.

Recommendation to not formally consult

72 At the workshop on 27 February 2020, Officers discussed with Council the LGA definitions of significance and materiality and the thresholds in Council’s significance and engagement policy that trigger the requirement for formal consultation.

73 At the workshops on April 7 and 16 (via video conference) Officers presented options for reducing the rates increase, and proposed that none of the differences between the draft Annual Plan and year three of the LTP are significant or material, and there being no new spending proposals to consult the community on, that it would be appropriate to not formally consult the community on the Annual Plan.

74 In addition, Council recognises that undertaking a full formal consultation on the Annual Plan would be difficult whilst the district is operating under COVID-19 Alert Level restrictions, limiting the effectiveness of any engagement.

75 Considering the reasons outlined above, Council has indicated that in this circumstance, it is appropriate to not formally consult the community on the Annual Plan, but to undertake an information campaign to ensure that the community understand the decisions made. This approach will still allow the community opportunity to provide feedback on the Annual Plan, but using a less prescribed process. Paragraphs 88 to 100 of this report provide further details on the proposed engagement approach.

76 Note that section 95 2(A) of the LGA specifies that consultation is not required if no significant or material changes are proposed in the Annual Plan. In the LGA, a difference or variation is material if it:

· might alter a reasonable person’s conclusions about the affordability of the plan or about the levels of service contained in the plan; or

· might influence their decision to make (or not make) a submission on any consultation document (for example, has some policy shift been signalled).

Considerations

Policy considerations

77 There are no changes proposed to Council policies through this report.

Legal considerations

78 The Local Government Act 2012 (the LGA) requires councils to prepare and adopt an Annual Plan by 30 June.

79 Section 95 2(A) of the LGA specifies that consultation is not required if no significant or material changes are proposed in the Annual Plan.

Financial considerations

80 The draft annual plan for 2020/21 has an average rates increase of 2.6%, with a growth component of 0.4%. This is made up of:

81 Council’s borrowings position is currently forecasted to be $166 million for 2020/21 (shown in chart below). This will be revised once further budget reviews are completed and before the final Annual Plan is adopted.

Tāngata whenua considerations

82 Reducing the proposed level of rates increase for 2020/21 is not considered to have any direct and negative impacts on tāngata whenua.

83 There will be opportunities for conversation with our iwi partners to inform the Council’s decisions on the final Annual Plan and Council will work with iwi as part of the recovery phase to identify opportunities for community and central government funding to support tāngata whenua/iwi through COVID-19, and to mitigate rates increases as much as possible to support our communities in recovery.

Strategic considerations

84 This Annual Plan is focused on sustaining the community through an unprecedented disruption to its social and economic environment. Therefore, the Annual Plan should be viewed in context of the following long term goals:

· A resilient community that has basic needs and feels safe and connected; and

· Wise management of public resources and sustainable funding of Council services

85 It should be noted that the deferment of depreciation funding will adversely affect Council’s financial position in the short term, which will inhibit achievement of one of the three-year focus outcomes - Improved financial position against financial constraints.

Significance and Engagement

Significance policy

86 This matter has a low level of significance under Council’s Significance and Engagement Policy.

Consultation already undertaken

87 Community Boards have been consulted in this matter. All Annual Plan workshops have been attended by one or more members of each Community Board and each Board has had the opportunity to present their priorities for 2020/21 to Council for consideration.

Engagement planning

Information campaign

88 Whilst formal consultation is not required for the Annual Plan, Council wish to ensure the community is fully informed of the content of the Annual Plan and the decisions it has made to reduce the impact of rates on households and businesses as much as possible.

89 Elected Members will need to play a key role in communicating the key messages about the Annual Plan to the community. Officers will provide Elected Members with talking points and Q&A material as required.

90 An Information Document is being developed which will serve as the main communication tool for the Annual Plan. The document will include:

· An explanation of the Annual Plan and how Council has approached its development following the COVID-19 situation.

· An outline of the main capital projects and activities Council has planned in 2020/21, as well as how Council is planning to support businesses and residents to manage the impacts of COVID-19;

· A summary of rates, capital expenditure and borrowings for 2020/21; and

· Details of how people can find out further information or provide feedback.

91 This report seeks Council’s approval to delegate the finalising and approval of the information document to a panel comprising the Mayor, the Deputy Mayor, Councillor Cootes, Councillor Compton, and the Chief Executive.

92 The Information Document will be available from early May 2020 on the Council website, and a draft will be made available for Councillors to view prior to publishing.

93 There will likely be some ongoing limitations with Council’s typical information channels due to COVID-19 restrictions – notably any face-to-face engagement will not be possible, and there may still be some limitations on advertising in local newspapers.

94 Key messages about the Annual Plan will be therefore distributed largely through digital channels - the Council website and Facebook page, electronic newsletter Everything Kāpiti, Neighbourly, and our Express Yourself Forum database. Key stakeholder groups will also be contacted directly to help spread messages.

95 In addition, a two-page summary of the draft Annual Plan will be produced to be included in the fourth quarter rates noticed scheduled to be mailed out to approximately 15,000 ratepayers in May. The document will provide basic information about the draft Annual Plan, including how people can provide feedback, and will direct readers to the Council website where they can find more information.

96 Radio advertising will be used where appropriate to direct people to information on the Council’s website. Officers will investigate opportunities for radio interviews with the Mayor and Councillors.

97 Media advisories will also be issued to local media where appropriate.

98 Any feedback received from the community on the draft Annual Plan will be summarised and presented back to Council for consideration prior to Council making its final decisions on the content of the 2020/21 Annual Plan on 4 June 2020 ahead of formally adopting the Annual Plan on 25 June 2020.

99 Council is not seeking proposals for projects or grant funding through the Annual Plan process. However, any proposals received that relate to community wellbeing during COVID-19 response and recovery will be considered. Any other proposals received will be considered outside of the Annual Plan process or will form early input in the 2021-41 Long Term Plan process.

100 The following table gives an outline of the key milestones and indicative timings for the Annual Plan process.

Milestone	Indicative date
Council approve draft Annual Plan for 2020/21	30 April 2020
Information document published	Early May 2020
Fourth quarter rates notice mailed out	8 May 2020
Council adopts fees and charges schedule for 2020/21	28 May 2020
Final date for community feedback on Annual Plan	29 May 2020
Council make final decisions on Annual Plan for 2020/21	4 June 2020
Council adopts Annual Plan and sets rates for 2020/21	25 June 2020
2020/21 Annual Plan operative	1 July 2020

Publicity

101 A media release will be issued following this meeting to inform the community of Council’s decisions.

102 Further communications products will be developed closer to the date of the adoption of the Annual Plan to inform the community of any further changes to the work programme for 2020/21 and any impact on rates.

Other Considerations

103 Details of the proposed COVID-19 support package and Council’s formal approval of such is subject to a separate report at this meeting.

Conclusion

104 Council has revised its draft Annual Plan for 2020/21 in light of the COVID-19 situation and Officers propose a number of changes for Council’s approval that are aimed at reducing the planned rates increase down from 5.7%.

105 The draft average rates increase for 2020/21 is now 2.6%.

106 There are no new spending proposals or significant or material changes to the 2020/21 Annual Plan, so it is appropriate to not formally consult in this circumstance.

107 An information campaign will inform the community of the proposed changes and people will have the opportunity to provide feedback for Council’s consideration before the Annual Plan is adopted.

108 The 2020/21 Annual Plan is scheduled for adoption by Council on 25 June 2020.

Recommendations

It is recommended that Council

109 Notes the risks outlined by Officers associated with the proposed rates reduction options described in paragraphs 42 to 63 of this report.

110 Approves the following changes for the draft 2020/21 Annual Plan:

110.1 Reduce the growth assumption rate.

110.2 Fund a community support package.

110.3 No increase to fees and charges above 2019/20 levels.

110.4 No increase to fixed and variable water rates.

110.5 Remove inflationary increases from operating budgets.

110.6 Recovery funding - to allow us to sustain and rebuild our community.

110.7 Remove additional depreciation funding in 2020/21 to continue closing the non-funded depreciation gap.

111 Approves the reductions to the fees stated in paragraph 51 of this report.

112 Notes that the fees and charges are scheduled to be presented to Council for adoption on 28 May 2020.

113 Agrees that there are no significant or material differences between the content of the Long Term Plan 2018-38 for the year 2020/21 and the draft Annual Plan for 2020/21.

114 Agrees that formal consultation is not required for the 2020/21 Annual Plan, in accordance with section 95(2A) of the LGA.

115 Approves the engagement approach to inform the community outlined in paragraphs 88 to 100 of this report.

116 Approves the delegation for finalising the Information Document to a panel comprising the Mayor, the Deputy Mayor, Councillor Cootes, Councillor Compton, and the Chief Executive.

117 Notes that the 2020/21 Annual Plan is scheduled to be presented to Council for adoption at a Council meeting on 25 June 2020.

Appendices

Nil

Council Meeting Agenda

30 April 2020

8.3 Housing Needs and Future Opportunities

Author: Morag Taimalietane, Principal Advisor

Authoriser: Janice McDougall, Group Manager

Purpose of Report

1. This report:

1.1 provides an overview of the Housing Programme Assessment Report (attached as Appendix One) for the Kāpiti Coast district, completed by The Property Group;

1.2 acknowledges the challenges and potential impacts resulting from COVID-19; and

1.3 seeks the Council’s endorsement of proposed next steps to enable the Council’s involvement in future housing opportunities.

Delegation

2 The Council has the authority to consider this matter.

COVID-19

3 This report was prepared prior to New Zealand’s evolving response to COVID-19.

4 The potential impacts from COVID-19 for the Kāpiti Coast district are still being determined, however there is an expected increase in unemployment and the likelihood of businesses closing. These economic changes will create flow on impacts such as less discretionary income and reduced income certainty.

5 There is no expectation that the housing crisis will have significantly lessened in response to the impacts of COVID-19, and additional pressure may be seen on areas such as social housing, and emergency and transitional housing.

6 Alongside the Government’s COVID-19 Response Packages, the Government is also continuing to work at pace to ensure adequate housing for all New Zealanders including;

6.1 ensuring that tenancies are sustained and tenants do not have to face the prospect of homelessness during a global pandemic;

6.2 increasing the supply of emergency and transitional housing;

6.3 supporting housing and related service providors and their staff to provide their services;

7 The Housing Programme recommended in this report identifies key issues for housing in Kāpiti, which remain valid in response to COVID-19, and a response and actions for implementation to support housing within the Kāpiti Coast.

8 The actions within the recommended Housing Programme can be progressed at an appropriate pace alongside, or as an inclusion to, any Council response to COVID-19.

Background

9 In August 2017 the Council received a report from the Kāpiti Coast Communities Housing Taskforce – a group established by the Mayor to advocate for the needs of the housing sector on the Kāpiti Coast.

10 The Taskforce Report (attached as Appendix Two) made a number of recommendations in relation to Council’s role in addressing housing issues. These ranged from helping to increase the housing supply and supporting community housing providers, to advocating for changes to central government policy.

11 Through the consultation for the 2018-38 long term plan, the Council discussed the Housing Taskforce report and identified that Council would “do more work to investigate the options the Council has to influence housing issues”.

12 Following supportive feedback from the consultation, the 2018-38 Long Term Plan (LTP) provided mandate and direction for the Council to consider our future role in housing including:

· housing - In 2018/19 we’ll investigate options for the Council’s role (pg 22, LTP); and

· Council has a role in social housing as it provides affordable housing for older people, and over the next three years we will consider our wider role in social housing. (pg 82, LTP)

13 In early 2019, the council engaged The Property Group (TPG) to prepare specialist and targeted advice on the future of housing in the Kāpiti Coast district. The purpose of the assessment was to identify the key issues to be addressed and the tasks required to establish a housing programme.

14 A final draft Housing Programme Assessment report was completed in October 2019 following consultation with over 80 stakeholders including Council staff, housing providers, Māori landowners and Central Government.

15 Following internal review, the Housing Programme Assessment report has been finalised.

The property group housing Assessment overview

Scope

16 The Housing Programme Assessment report (the Assessment) provides the Council with a benchmark of current housing supply in Kāpiti, as well as identifying current and future potential gaps to be addressed.

17 The Assessment also aims to give the Council a broad understanding of its role in supporting affordable and public housing and to understand housing needs across the district.

Key issues and recommended actions

18 Four key issues were identified through the Assessment, which a housing programme would need to address:

a) Investigate ways to increase the supply of public housing.

b) Improve the quality of existing public housing.

c) Encourage take up of existing development capacity.

d) Improve the availability of emergency and transitional housing.

19 There are 14 recommended actions sitting under these key issues (detailed in Appendix One), which would be the foundation for a housing programme. The actions are listed in the recommended order of completion to enable the Council to best respond to each of the issues, and a timing guideline is provided in three phases:

· Short term (3-6 months)

· Medium term (6-12 months)

· Long term (12-24 months)

Establishing a Housing Programme

20 The Assessment provides clear next steps in terms of establishing a housing programme which would build a work programme for housing in the Kāpiti Coast:

a) Preparation of a programme brief including:

i. Definition of a Council Housing Policy

ii. Definition of workstreams

iii. Stakeholder engagement strategy and communication strategy.

b) Resourcing of a dedicated programme team and a cross functional team within Council.

c) Establishing a budget and duration of programme.

d) Preparation of an implementation strategy.

Kāpiti Coast Communities housing taskforce report

Overview

21 The Kāpiti Coast Communities Housing Taskforce Report was first submitted to the Council in August 2017. An updated Taskforce Report was then provided in April 2018, as part of the Taskforce’s submission to the 2018-38 Long Term Plan consultation.

22 The Taskforce consulted housing providers, developers and others involved in the sector on the Kāpiti Coast as part of the development of the report.

Conclusion and recommendations

23 The Taskforce Report concluded that Kāpiti Coast communities were facing “unprecedented housing pressure, largely caused by recent excessive net migration, showing up the gaps in our housing infrastructure mix and capacity that has been pushed to the limit and beyond.”

24 There are 18 recommended actions in the Taskforce Report. These are based around the following areas:

a) Providing housing needs assessments;

b) Helping community housing providers

c) Helping increase supply

d) Helping decrease demand

e) Helping change central government policy; and

f) Helping improve the adequacy of Kāpiti Coast homes.

25 Of the 18 total recommendations, the Taskforce identified four as key, with a focus on increasing supply:

· Recommendation 3A - That Council lease its social housing stock and land to the local Registered Community Housing Providers - Dwell Housing Trust or Link People or Paekakariki Housing Trust, and iwi if they wish, by December 2018.

· Recommendation 3B - That Council immediately investigate why landowners do not want to rent unused habitable units that they own, and use the results to free up these potential homes.

· Recommendation 3F – That Council waive or reduce its fees and levies as appropriate when a residential development includes provision for affordable or social or papakainga housing, particularly where it is to be purchased by a recognised or run by a recognised Community Housing provider. That Council use discretion and scaling in the application of its rules, Development Contributions and required items, particularly where the homes being developed are smaller or are socially clustered.

· Recommendation 3G - That Council immediately request Government to urgently fund and develop affordable and social housing on suitable NZTA owned Residential zoned land surplus from the construction of the Kāpiti Expressway, to remedy the earlier loss of housing.

establishing a housing programme

Analysis

26 Council Officers have reviewed both the Taskforce Report and the TPG Assessment.

27 The Taskforce Report and the TPG Assessment have identified similar key issues to be addressed with regards to housing in the Kāpiti Coast, in particular the supply and quality of housing.

28 In many cases the TPG Assessment has developed actions which will respond to the recommendations made in the Taskforce Report.

29 A full comparison of the recommendations and actions from the two reports is attached as Appendix Three, which includes the Council officer response to the recommendations made through the Taskforce Report.

Programme Development

30 The TPG Assessment provides clear direction for which issues and actions should be progressed first, and guidelines for the timings of those.

31 It is the recommendation of Council Officers that the Council establishes a housing programme based on the steps identified by the TPG Assessment Report as detailed in paragraph 20.

32 The Council’s ability to respond and implement actions for housing within the Kāpiti Coast will depend on:

32.1 the level of resourcing available to develop and progress this work programme.

32.2 the economic impacts of COVID-19.

33 Work to develop a detailed Housing work programme will begin early in the 2020/21 financial year. In the meantime, housing will remain an important consideration as the economic and social impacts of COVID-19 become apparent.

34 Therefore, Council Officers recommend that until a detailed work programme is developed, the following actions from the TPG Assessment are prioritised as time and resource allows:

· Action 1: Undertake an audit of Council’s existing residential land holdings to determine redevelopment potential and improvements needed.

· Action 2: Investigate the suitability of other Council owned land to support housing developments, giving greater weight to the use of Council land for housing.

· Action 3: Engage with local iwi to determine how Council can support and enhance the capacity of Maori housing providers through opportunities for development partnerships on Maori-owned and other land.

· Action 4: Identify partnership opportunities with the public housing sector.

· Action 7: Establish a working group with the local housing sector, including CHPs to support this industry to provide quality housing.

· Action 14: Identify suitable Council or other land through Council or its partnerships that maybe available for temporary relocatable housing.

Considerations

Policy considerations

35 As part of the Cross-Council Policy Work Programme, approved by the Strategy and Operations Committee on 5 December 2019, a line was included for Council’s ‘Wider Role in Housing’. This Policy was given a timeframe starting early 2019 and finishing early 2021 to enable the outcome to feed into the Council’s 2021-41 Long Term Plan.

36 The work undertaken by TPG has provided the foundation for this Policy to be developed, in line with the timeframes noted in the Cross-Council Policy Work Programme.

37 Council Officers also envisage that the criteria for the Council’s Strategic Land Purchase Policy will be reviewed as part of the Housing work programme in response to the TPG Assessment - Action 6 “Investigate potential for long term strategic acquisitions to expand the opportunity for Council to undertake or enable housing development projects”.

Legal considerations

38 There are no legal considerations in relation to the recommendations made in this Council Report.

Financial considerations

39 The pace of implementation proposed in the TPG Assessment is not possible within existing budgets and given our current environment. However, there is provision within existing budgets to appoint a programme manager which will enable the Council to deliver on priority actions within the Housing work programme, as well as respond to significant housing impacts from COVID-19.

Tāngata whenua considerations

40 Te Whakaminenga o Kāpiti has identified housing as an area of interest.

41 The Iwi Partnership Team are working in closely with Iwi to understand the impacts of COVID-19 for Iwi, including housing impacts.

42 There is also currently a standing item on the work programme related to the development of a Papakainga Housing toolkit.

43 Interest has been raised by some iwi authorities with regards to the Council supporting iwi to develop their lands further.

44 The Government is proposing amendments to the Local Government (Rating) Act 2002 to promote the development of Māori freehold land and to modernise the rating legislation relating to Māori freehold land.

45 The amendments are in the Local Government (Rating of Whenua Māori) Amendment Bill which will aim to support Māori freehold landowners to engage, use, develop and live on their land.

46 The Amendment Bill has been referred to Select Committee, and the Council will discuss with and work alongside Te Whakaminenga o Kāpiti with regards to the submission process and development.

Strategic considerations

47 The 2018-38 Long Term Plan (LTP) provided mandate and direction for the Council to consider its future role in housing including:

· housing - In 2018/19 we’ll investigate options for the Council’s role (pg 22, LTP); and

· Council has a role in social housing as it provides affordable housing for older people, and over the next three years we will consider our wider role in social housing. (pg 82, LTP)

Significance and Engagement

Significance policy

48 This matter has a moderate degree of significance under Council’s Significance and Engagement Policy as there is likely to be interest from across a number of sectors.

Consultation already undertaken

49 A significant amount of engagement and consultation has taken place with regards to the Council’s role in housing for the Kāpiti Coast District. These include:

49.1 Engagement through the development of the Kāpiti Communities Housing Taskforce Report.

49.2 Consultation for the Long Term Plan 2018-38 included provisions around the future management of Councils Older Persons Housing, and the Council’s role in influencing housing issues.

49.3 Engagement through the development of The Property Group Housing Assessment Report.

Engagement planning

50 Further engagement will be required as the housing programme is developed and implemented.

Publicity

51 A communications and engagement plan has been developed. Housing Portfolio Lead Councillor McCann will be the Council’s spokesperson on this topic.

Other Considerations

52 The Urban Development Bill, which is with Select Committee, provides for functions, powers, rights, and duties of the Crown entity Kāinga Ora—Homes and Communities, to enable it to undertake its urban development functions.

53 Kāinga Ora will be provided the ability to enable, lead or facilitate a special type of complex, transformational development – called specified development projects (SDPs); access to a tool-kit of development powers when undertaking SDPs; access to land acquisition powers when undertaking urban development projects (including SDPs).

54 The Council will continue to monitor the progression of this Bill.

55 The Council will also monitor and respond to any other considerations, including legislative changes,that occur in response to COVID-19.

Recommendations

56 That the Council notes that the 2018-38 Long Term Plan (LTP) provided mandate and direction for the Council to consider its future role in housing.

57 That the Council notes and endorses the Housing Programme Assessment report, attached as Appendix One, and agrees to establish a housing programme based on the steps it identifies.

58 That the Council notes COVID-19 will impact the pace and scale of implementation and that the timeframes for delivery will be further considered through the development of a detailed work programme.

59 That the Council agrees that Council Officers should continue to progress Actions 1, 2, 3, 4, 7 and 14 from the Housing Programme Assessment as time and resource allows while a detailed housing work programme is developed.

60 That the Council note the comparison of the recommendations and actions from the Kāpiti Communities Housing Taskforce Report and Housing Programme Assessment report, as detailed in Appendix Three.

61 That the Council approve the Council Officer response to the recommendations made through the Taskforce Report Recommendations, as detailed in Appendix Three.

Appendices

1. Housing Assessment ⇩

2. Kapiti Communities Housing Taskforce Report ⇩

3. Report Analysis and Officer Reponse to Taskforce ⇩


AGENDA Council Meeting
I hereby give notice that a Meeting of the Kapiti Coast District Council will be held on:
Date:	Thursday, 30 April 2020
Time:	9.30am
Location:	Council Chamber Ground Floor, 175 Rimu Road Paraparaumu
Wayne Maxwell Chief Executive

Mayor K Gurunathan	Chair
Deputy Mayor Janet Holborow	Deputy
Cr Angela Buswell	Member
Cr James Cootes	Member
Cr Jackie Elliott	Member
Cr Gwynn Compton	Member
Cr Jocelyn Prvanov	Member
Cr Martin Halliday	Member
Cr Sophie Handford	Member
Cr Robert McCann	Member
Cr Bernie Randall	Member