‘What matters most to Hamiltonians’- that’s the question Hamilton City Council is asking of residents as it works on a proposal for local government amalgamation. The proposal will be submitted to central government as part of the Head Start process announced last month.
Residents can also have their say on what the opportunities are for local government reform, and raise any concerns they have.
Council is gathering information and running modelling for three initial options for amalgamation, based on existing territorial authority boundaries. However, Mayor Tim Macindoe says other scenarios may emerge as the work progresses.
“I’m encouraging Hamiltonians to contribute their suggestions and concerns during this period. The amalgamation options are the most significant changes proposed for Local Government in nearly 40 years, and we need to know what our residents and ratepayers are thinking.”
The three initial options Council will look into are:
- a merger of Hamilton City Council and Waikato District Council based on the existing IAWAI partnership
- a merger of Hamilton City Council, Waikato District Council, and Waipā District Council
- a single council for the whole of the Waikato region (within the Waikato Regional Council boundary).
To help determine what goes into the proposal, elected members have developed a set of 10 decision-making principles.
From today until 5 July, the community can share how important each of these principles are to them. These insights will support Council to make sure Hamiltonians’ interests are represented in the proposal.
The principles are:
The results of the current consultation will be used to test the merit and suitability of the options for a future local government structure.
Council’s Head Start proposal (and a report on the consultation feedback) will go to the 6 August meeting for final approval.
Click here to have your say.
