7.2.    Long Term Plan (LTP)

Under the Local Government Act 2002, Council is required to develop a Long Term Plan in consultation with the community. LTPs are required to set out Council activities, describe community outcomes, provide integrated decision-making and co-ordination of Council resources and provide a long term focus for the decisions and activities of Council. The community has the opportunity to be involved in the process as well as have the ability to make submissions through the Special Consultative Process.

The LTP identifies the communities’ outcomes and provides information on Council’s policies and actions for a 10 year period from the date of its publication and it will be reviewed and updated every three years. Each LTP will provide the basis for Annual Plans each year a LTP is not produced.

The first LTP was produced by Council in 2004 to cover the 10 year period to 2014. The current LTP was produced in 2015 and it covers the 10 year period to 2025. The next LTP will be produced in 2018 and will cover the next 10 years to 2028.

The Matamata-Piako District LTP for 2015-2025 is divided in to three parts as follows:

• Part one provides an introduction and detailed information on Council’s community outcomes for the next ten years as follows:
  
  • Audit Opinion – As a requirement of the Local Government Act 2002 the LTP has been audited by Audit New Zealand,
  • Councils financial and infrastructure strategies,
  • Community outcomes and how these will be measured,
  • Information about the district economy and population,
  • Maori participation in decision-making.
• Part two provides detailed information on what activities we undertake and the projects for the next 10 years as follows:
  
  • Information on Council's activities including what each activity does, what service it provides and how this will be measured;
  • Council's key projects; and
  • Council's new or recent initiatives
    
    
• Part three provides finiancial statements and information on the following policies
  • Accounting Policies - Council is required to comply with generally accepted accounting practice and specify policies on how it will prepare financial statements and record financial transactions;
  • Forcasting assumptions, balanced budget information, reserve funds and examples of the rates impact;
  • Summary of the Significance and Engagement Policy - The Council is required to define what a 'significant' decision is. By identifying if a decision is significant this will guide the Council as to the appropriate provision of consultation and informaiton;
  • Revenue and Financing Policy - This policy sets out how the Council will fund its activities;
  • Council controlled organisations/other key partniships - this section specifies how Council works with Council Controlled Organisations and other organisations in which Council are in partnership with.

 
A copy of the LTP is available on this website and from Council Offices.