Agenda of Teviot Valley Community Board - Wednesday, 5 February 2025

Teviot Valley Community Board Agenda

5 February 2025

MINUTES OF A mEETING OF THE
Teviot Valley Community Board
HELD IN THE Roxburgh Service Centre, 120 Scotland Street, Roxburgh
AND LIVE STREAMED VIA MICROSOFT TEAMS ON Thursday, 5 December 2024 COMMENCING AT 10 am

PRESENT: Mr N Dalley (Chairperson), Mr M Jessop, Ms G Booth, Cr S Feinerman, Mr C Pannett

IN ATTENDANCE: T Alley (Mayor), P Kelly (Chief Executive Officer), S Righarts (Group Manager - Business Support), D Rushbrook (Group Manager - Community Vision), D Scoones (Group Manager - Community Experience), L Webster (Acting Group Manager - Planning and Infrastructure), P Morris (Chief Financial Officer), G Virk (Graduate Accountant), G Bailey (Parks and Recreation Manager), C Lipinski (Aquatics Manager), A Crosbie (Senior Strategy Advisor) via Microsoft Teams, B Snape (Property Officer Vincent and Teviot), M Burnett (Parks Officer – Strategy/ Planning), W McEnteer (Governance Manager), S Reynolds (Governance Support Officer)

1 Apologies

There were no apologies.

2 Public Forum

Terri Grice - Roxburgh Transfer Station, Berms

Ms Grice spoke of the issues he and her husband have experienced with their neighbouring property a former coal mine. She stated that communication with Central Otago District Council regarding an abatement notice had been poor and she was hopeful that the requirements of the notice would be actioned as soon as possible.

She also noted that the transfer station in Roxburgh offers a very poor service and that the road surface in this area needs repaired. Ms Grice also said that she believed the board decision regarding the berms was the wrong approach and commented that the community board do not communicate positively with the community.

Ms Grice then responded to questions.

Graeme Rae – Berms

Mr Rae spoke on behalf of the Teviot Ratepayer group and stated that he was sceptical that money saved from the parks budget would be redistributed in the ward. He believed the issue should be revisited and that there should be more opportunities for the community to feedback on this topic.

Prue Brensell - 14B Scotland Street -issue with a very steep berm

Ms Brensell noted that she has a large berm to the front of her property and that despite her best attempts, due to the gradient of the area she is not able to keep it tidy. She asked for solutions to help her keep this area mown.

Ms Brensell then responded to questions.

Rick Kristel - Roxburgh Pool, Punawai Ora Committee

Mr Kristel noted that he had been involved in the pool committee for the last 35 years and that he was pleased to be part of the committee who oversaw the completion of the pool.

However the operational side of running the facility was proving very difficult with a lack of lifeguards and the inability to recruit new members to the committee. He believed the current operational model does not meet their objective of providing a safe swimming environment for users. Following a recent meeting of the pool committee they agreed unanimously that they wanted to work together to find a solution with council taking over the ownership and the operation of the pool.

Mr Kristel then responded to questions.

Raymond Gunn - Roxburgh Pool, Punawai Ora Committee

Mr Gunn outlined the health and safety requirements of operating the pool and said the committee had no budget for covering renewals or an major repairs. He believed that they could not secure new committee members as the risk around liability was too great for a volunteer committee. He stated that he supported the move to hand the pool ownership and operational responsibility to Central Otago District Council.

Mr Gunn then responded to questions.

3 Confirmation of Minutes

Committee Resolution

Moved: Dalley

Seconded: Jessop

That the public minutes of the Teviot Valley Community Board Meeting held on 28 November 2024 be confirmed as a true and correct record.

Carried

4 Declarations of Interest

Members were reminded of their obligations in respect of declaring any interests. There were no further declarations of interest.

Note: Cr Feinerman declared and interest on item 24.9.4.

5 Reports

24.9.2 Declaration of Office

Mr Pannett will be required to take a declaration of office.

Mr Pannett read out the oath and it was signed by Her Worship Tamah Alley.

24.9.3 Mowing of Individual Grass Verge Roxburgh

To consider mowing the verge on the corner of Smith and Scotland Street Roxburgh.

Discussion followed on the level of community consultation that had taken place and the potential risk of setting a precedent by mowing some areas of berms.

It was also noted that a Grass Verges Policy was being formed and that this policy would be presented in a report to Council at the December meeting. The board opted to leave this item on the table until this policy had been approved by Council. The report would be brought back to the board at their next meeting on 5 February 2025.

Committee Resolution

Moved: Dalley

Seconded: Jessop

That the item is left on the table for consideration following the Grass Verges Policy being adopted by Council.

Carried

Note: Cr Feinerman left the room at 11.14 am for item 24.8.4 and did not vote.

24.9.4 Vesting the Ida MacDonald Roxburgh pool Punawai Ora in the Central Otago District Council

To consider vesting of the Ida Macdonald Roxburgh Community Pool in Council.

Discussion followed around the best outcome for the community and the cost implications of possible divestment. The board noted their understanding of the situation the committee found themselves in, the inability to recruit lifeguards and to fund ongoing operational costs and maintenance.

Committee Resolution

Moved: Dalley

Seconded: Pannett

That the Teviot Valley Community Board

A. Receives the report and accepts the level of significance.

B. Notes that the pool committee are unable to provide ongoing governance, and an operational and financial model to ensure that the Ida Macdonald Roxburgh Pool remains open.

C. Recommends to Council that the Ida Macdonald Roxburgh Pool is vested in the Central Otago District Council as a consultation item in the 2025-34 Draft Long-term Plan.

D. Recommends that the Ida Macdonald Roxburgh Pool Committee carry out a formal valuation and due diligence on the pool assets being vested to Council and cover all other expenses incurred in the transition and undertake actions to ensure the pool can be vested to Central Otago District Council.

E. Recommends to Council to discuss option 1 of resolution 24.11.5 One District: Central Otago Consultation report.

F. Recommends to Council that operational costs for the Ida Macdonald Roxburgh Pool are included in the 2025-34 Draft Long-term Plan.

G. Authorises the Chief Executive to do all that is necessary to give effect to the resolution.

Carried

Note: Cr Feinerman returned to the table at 12.04 pm.

24.9.13 Level of Service - Teviot Valley Buildings

To consider the level of service for Teviot Valley buildings as part of the Long-Term Plan 2025/34 process.

Discussion followed discussing the usage of the halls and the community expectation of council to provide halls as part of their core services. The earthquake strengthening requirements were discussed as well as significant operational costs of some underused halls.

It was also noted that the ward had already previously divested some of their hall assets to community groups.

Committee Resolution

Moved: Dalley

Seconded: Jessop

That the Teviot Valley Community Board

A. Receives the report and accepts the level of significance.

B. Recommends to Council that the following buildings are retained as budgeted in the draft Long-Term Plan 2025/34:

· Roxburgh Service Centre & Hall

· Roxburgh Entertainment Centre

· Millers Flat Hall

C. Recommends to Council that the following buildings are considered for divestment as part of the draft Long-Term Plan 2025/34 consultation document:

· Roxburgh Squash Court

· Millers Flat Bowling Club

Carried

Note: By permission of the meeting item 24.9.8 was moved forward.

24.9.8 Teviot Valley Financial Report for the Period Ending 30 September 2024

To consider the financial performance overview as at 30 September 2024.

Committee Resolution

Moved: Dalley

Seconded: Feinerman

That the report be received.

Carried

Note: The meeting adjourned at 12.52 pm and was resumed at 1.15 pm

24.8.5 Grant Budget Recommendations

To consider the provision of Community Board grants and confirm the value of relevant grant budgets.

Committee Resolution

Moved: Dalley

Seconded: Feinerman

That the Teviot Valley Community Board

A. Receives the report and accepts the level of significance.

B. Recommends to Council a maximum of $21,774 be available to the TVCB through their reserves to fund Community Grants in 2025/26 and 2026/27 financial years.

C. Recommends to Council a maximum of $16,948 be available to the TVCB through their reserves to fund Promotions & Events Grants in 2025/26 and 2026/27 financial years.

D. Recommends to Council TVCB does not need seek Council approval to spend reserve funds for Community or Promotions Grants within the 2025/26 and 2026/27 financial years.

E. Notes any allocation of Community or Promotions Grant reserves in the March 2025 Grant round will diminish the associated reserve fund by the corresponding amount.

Carried

24.8.6 Update to the Register of Delegations for Community Boards

To consider changes to the Register of Delegations as they apply to community boards.

Committee Resolution

Moved: Dalley

Seconded: Pannett

That the report be received.

Carried

24.8.7 Managing Unreasonable Complainant Conduct

To update the Board on the Unreasonable Complainant Conduct workstream and seek feedback before finalising the relevant policies in early 2025.

Committee Resolution

Moved: Dalley

Seconded: Booth

That the report be received.

Carried

6 Mayor’s Report

24.9.9 Mayor's Report

The Mayor was not present for this part of the meeting so no report was received.

7 Chair's Report

24.9.10 Chair's Report

The Chair gave an update on activities and issues since the last meeting.

· Attended the November Council meeting to give an update on activities in the ward

· Attended the additional Teviot Valley Meeting to formalise the nomination of Curtis Pannett to the board.

· Chaired a health meeting with an update from Hayley Anderson, Chief Executive of Central Otago Health Services Ltd, with a number of other health agencies to discuss the challenges in the health sector in Central Otago and the importance of collaboration in this area.

· Attended two Roxburgh Pool meetings.

· Attended rest home meetings, the Roxburgh Entertainment Centre meeting and a Business group meeting.

Committee Resolution

Moved: Dalley

Seconded: Feinerman

That the report be received.

Carried

8 Members' Reports

24.8.11 Members' Reports

Members will gave an update on activities and issues since the last meeting.

Mr Jessop reported on the following:

· Had been liaising with Curtis Pannett about his appointment and notes he is pleased to have him around the table.

· Had been in conversation with members of the community about berms.

· Hosted Mayor Alley in Millers Flat to show her around the settlement and the proposed project to regenerate the domain.

· Had completed work with Teviot Prospects to reinstate the Living Wall.

· Had undertaken development work on the Millers Flat Sports Hub, noting they had experienced issues with inaccurate survey plans.

· Attended Teviot Prospects meetings.

· Attended the Teviot Valley Garage sale noting the success of this event.

· Attended the Garden Tour run by Teviot Prospects.

· Attended a funding clinic in Roxburgh.

Ms Booth reported on the following:

· Attended a Medical Services meeting.

· Attended a Teviot Prospects meeting.

Mr Pannett reported on the following:

· Noted that Teviot Water Care Group had undertaken water testing in the area and are putting it into hibernation until the issue becomes more pressured again.

· Attended a Teviot Irrigation group meeting.

· Noted that he was pleased to be on the board and looked forward to making a contribution.

Cr Feinerman reported on the following:

· Attended a Community Response Group meeting noting that they have some good initiatives underway including a brochure that will be available soon with clear emergency procedures.

· Attended an Emergency Management districtwide training day.

· Attended four pool committee meetings and noted they held a successful opening day event.

· Has been liaising with Ben Hamilton from Sports Central to establish some ramps and jumps for children to use at Grovers Hill.

· Had received complaints about the hemlock and other invasive species that have overgrown around the natives on Grovers Hill.

· Responded to some derogatory online social media commentary, confirming that at Local Government New Zealand conferences there is never alcohol available for attendees and that elected members are mostly billeted at friends or colleagues accommodation.

· Had attended several Long-term Plan workshops for Council

· Gave an update on October and November Council meetings

· Attended a ‘Strategic Doing’ conference in Dunedin, noting how useful it was to help achieve positive outcomes.

Committee Resolution

Moved: Dalley

Seconded: Jessop

That the report be received.

Carried

9 Status Reports

24.8.12 December 2024 Governance Report

To report on items of general interest, receive minutes and updates from key organisations and consider the status report updates.

Committee Resolution

Moved: Dalley

Seconded: Pannett

That the report be received.

Carried

10 Date of The Next Meeting

The date of the next scheduled meeting is 5 February 2025.

The meeting closed at 2.18 pm.

...................................................

CHAIR / /

5 February 2025

5 Reports

25.1.2 Mowing of Individual Grass Verge Roxburgh

Doc ID: 2026557

1. Purpose of Report

To consider mowing the verge on the corner of Smith and Scotland Street Roxburgh.

Recommendations

That the Teviot Valley Community Board

A. Receives the report and accepts the level of significance.

B. Declines mowing of the grass verge on the corner of Smith and Scotland Streets, Roxburgh.

2. Background

A number of years ago, the Teviot Valley Community Board (the Board) resolved that Council should mow all the grass verges within the township of Roxburgh. Despite extensive searching of files, the exact decision, and reasons for it cannot be found.

Roxburgh was the only township within the district that had verges mowed other than verges that are adjacent to Council owned land.

At its March 2024 meeting the Board resolved the following

Moved: Dalley

Seconded: Jessop

That the Teviot Valley Community Board

A. Receives the report and accepts the level of significance.

B. The Board ceases to fund the mowing verges in Roxburgh and redistributes the budget across other costs centres within the open spaces contract area. And that Council is asked to develop a grass verge policy for the district.

This resolution was actioned from 1 July 2024. While it is acknowledged that once a service such verge mowing has been undertaken within a community it can be a challenge to reverse the decision as it could be seen as a reduction in services to ratepayers. In Roxburgh the vast majority of residents have undertaken the maintenance of their verge following the Boards decision earlier in the year, not to continue mowing them.

3. Discussion

It came to Councils attention that the verge on the corner of Smith and Scotland Street had not been maintained by the adjacent resident. It was understood that there are several Council and other utility infrastructure assets on this verge that made it challenging to maintain.

A street sign on a pole

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The Board had also been alerted to residents who were unable to mow their adjacent verge due to illness, age or similar restrictions.

At the boards 5^th December meeting the report 24.8.3 Mowing of Individual Grass Verge Roxburgh was left to lie on the table until Council considered a report to adopt a Grass Verge Policy.

The Grass Verge Policy was adopted by Council at its 18 December 2024 meeting. The policy is attached as Appendix 1.

The Board now needs to consider this report with the knowledge that a Grass Verge Policy is in place. It should also be noted that there is the following clarification in the policy: -

“In Roxburgh and Lake Roxburgh Village only, there is a process for property owners who by way of illness, age or similar restrictions is unable to do the work or is unable to make alternative arrangements (including applying to Ministry of Social Development), the Council may undertake verge cutting up to twice a year. The Council may require a medical certificate in such cases”.

4. Financial Considerations

There are no financial considerations as any costs incurred through additional verge mowing would be minimal and would be included in the existing budget.

5. Options

Option 1 (Recommended)

The Board declines the mowing of the grass verge on the corner of Smith and Scotland Streets, Roxburgh.

Advantages:

· This is in line with the Council Grass Verge Policy.

· Potential to set a president for mowing other verges is avoided.

· Corrects a historic inconsistency in the service of grass verge mowing throughout the district.

Disadvantages:

· The resident may not mow the adjacent verge.

Option 2

The Board approves the mowing of the grass verge on the corner of Smith and Scotland Streets Roxburgh.

Advantages

· The area of verge is kept tidy.

Disadvantages:

· There is potential to set a president for mowing other verges.

· This would be inconsistent with the Grass Verge Policy.

· There would be inconsistent delivery of grass verge mowing services throughout the district.

6. Compliance

Local Government Act 2002 Purpose Provisions	This decision enables democratic local decision making and action by, and on behalf of communities by determining the priority spending of budgets within the Teviot Ward to deliver the most appropriate and affordable levels of service.
Decision consistent with other Council plans and policies? Such as the District Plan, Economic Development Strategy etc.	Yes consistent with the Grass Verge Policy.
Considerations as to sustainability, the environment and climate change impacts	Not applicable
Risks Analysis	The decision does not trigger Councils risk matrix.
Significance, Consultation and Engagement (internal and external)	This decision does not trigger Council’s Significance and Engagement policy.

7. Next Steps

Following the Board decision the resident will be notified.

8. Attachments

Appendix 1 - Grass Verge Policy ⇩

5 February 2025

25.1.3 Representation on External Committees

Doc ID: 2028590

Report Author:	Wayne McEnteer, Governance Manager
Reviewed and authorised by:	Saskia Righarts, Group Manager - Business Support

1. Purpose of Report

To consider replacing Russell Read on two external committees.

Recommendations

That the Teviot Valley Community Board

A. Receives the report and accepts the level of significance.

B. Appoints a member as a representative to the I and H McPhail Charitable Trust.

C. Appoints a member as a representative to the Tuapeka County Bursary Fund Committee.

2. Background

Each triennium members of the Board are appointed to external committees either as a liaison or a representative. The definition of a liaison is a member will keep in contact with an organisation, but does not have voting rights within that organisation. A representative means that the members are an active participant in meetings and organisation. In this case, both positions are a representative.

3. Discussion

Russell Read was the Board representative on the I and H McPhail Charitable Trust and the Tuapeka County Bursary Fund Committee. There positions have become vacant since his resignation and should be filled until the upcoming elections in October 2025. The Board should choose a replacement, which will then be notified to the relevant organisation.

4. Financial Considerations

There are no financial considerations as this forms part of elected members’ work.

5. Options

Option 1 – (Recommended)

Appoint a member to be a representative for the I and H McPhail Charitable Trust and the Tuapeka County Bursary Fund Committee.

Advantages:

· The Board will be fulfilling its obligations to external committees with which it has a relationship.

· The Board is represented in the community.

Disadvantages:

· The current arrangement places significant demand on elected member time.

Option 2

Do not appoint a member to either of the organisations.

Advantages:

· There will be no extra work for elected members.

Disadvantages:

· These organisations will be short of representatives.

· It does not support the ongoing relations between the Board and community groups.

6. Compliance

Local Government Act 2002 Purpose Provisions	This decision enables democratic local decision making and action by, and on behalf of communities by confirming representation on external committees.
Decision consistent with other Council plans and policies? Such as the District Plan, Economic Development Strategy etc.	This is consistent with Council policy regarding appointments to external committees.
Considerations as to sustainability, the environment and climate change impacts	There are no considerations to be made in this space.
Risks Analysis	There are no risks associated with this decision.
Significance, Consultation and Engagement (internal and external)	This does not trigger the Significance and Engagement Policy.

7. Next Steps

Both organisations will be informed of the change.

8. Attachments

Nil


AGENDA Teviot Valley Community Board Meeting Wednesday, 5 February 2025
Date:	Wednesday, 5 February 2025
Time:	10.00 am
Location:	Roxburgh Service Centre, 120 Scotland Street, Roxburgh (A link to the live stream will be available on the Central Otago District Council's website.)
Peter Kelly Chief Executive Officer

Report Author:	Sarah Reynolds, Governance Support Officer
Reviewed and authorised by:	Saskia Righarts, Group Manager - Business Support

Report Author:	Maria Burnett, Parks Officer - Planning and Strategy
Reviewed and authorised by:	David Scoones, Group Manager - Community Experience