Council’s operational expenditure remains among the lowest

A new report released by the Department of Internal Affairs (DIA) last week shows Kāpiti Coast District Council’s operational expenditure is among the lowest in the country. 

Councils across the motu have had their performance benchmarked against their peers as part of the Government’s drive to implement a council performance measurement framework.  

Kāpiti Coast District Council Acting Chief Executive Sean Mallon says people want to know where their rates go and how their council stacks up against other councils of a similar size. 

“We’re committed to being open and transparent about our financial and operational performance with the community we serve, and the council profiles produced by DIA complement our existing performance reporting framework.  

“Kāpiti is growing. Our population is expected to grow by 22,000 people by 2051, and this Council is committed to ensuring we grow well,” Mr Mallon said. 

“With community support, this has seen us invest wisely in maintaining our public assets and growth to ensure we don’t ‘kick the can down the road’ and increase the rates burden on future ratepayers.  

“We know we have some work to do to reduce our debt and improve our total net debt to revenue ratio and we have a solid financial strategy in place to help us achieve this. 

“Like all councils, we are facing some significant challenges and, in the absence of any government funding coming our way to reduce our reliance on income from rates, we need to strike a balance between keeping annual rates increases as low as we can while ensuring we cover our operating costs and continue to invest in the assets we need to secure a more resilient future for our residents. 

“Through our Long-term Plan 2024-27 we made a commitment to keep our staff numbers below an agreed cap, and we continue to review our work programmes and look for ways to improve our operational effectiveness.” 

Mr Mallon said it is important to acknowledge that while small metro and large provincial councils may have population sizes in common, many face some unique challenges and opportunities. Community aspirations and council priorities may also differ from council to council. 

“While the council profiles tell a story they should not be read in isolation. Council’s Pre-election Report and performance reports provide more detailed information about Council’s finances and how we’re delivering for Kāpiti.”