Council is proposing an inhouse, stand-alone business unit to deliver its three water services in the future.

It is one of two options detailed in community consultation that starts today. The other option is a Water Services Council Controlled Organisation (CCO), like Ashburton Contracting Ltd, but focused on water services.

Both models meet Government’s Local Water Done Well directive, which imposes more stringent national quality and monitoring standards for drinking water, wastewater and stormwater.

Mayor Neil Brown is writing to all households in the Ashburton District, with details about both options, though Council is proposing the inhouse, stand-alone model. This model is an enhanced model of how Council already delivers three waters services, and will be ringfenced financially – meaning money collected from ratepayers for water services is kept separately from other Council work and spent only on water services work.

When Councillors selected the proposed model recently, they said it still gave Council strong control over the three waters services, and the enhanced inhouse unit would integrate better with other Council teams, like planning, asset management and property - in other words, it would deliver sustainable, resilient and high quality water services while retaining local control.

The alternative option that is in the consultation package details a CCO for water services and this would operate independently with its own governance and management structure, with Council as its shareholder. A board of directors would need to be appointed and set up costs would be slightly more than the inhouse model initially.

The consultation period will run until 27 April and a final decision on which model moves forward will be made by 21 May.

The chosen model will be part of a Water Services Delivery Plan that Council must submit to Government by early September.

Want to know more? Head to itsourplace.nz