Council has recommended to go ahead with the final design and tendering of the Maketu Little Waihi Wastewater Scheme.

In a unanimous decision at a meeting of Council’s Services Committee on 29 July it was recommended the Council proceed to tender out the scheme to five selected contractors.

Final tender results will be reported to Council for approval in December.

The 29 July decision centred on four financial options, focusing on the annual charge that the scheme will cost individual property owners.

Ranging from a total scheme cost of $15.2m to $16.3m, the four options spread across four cost scenarios per property per annum ranging from $557 to $812 (excluding GST).

The preferred option – Option 3 – is a $16.3m scheme at a UAC (uniform annual charge) of $641 per annum ($721 including GST).  Of this UAC, only $55 is the capital component, the balance being operational costs.