Timaru Christmas lights at risk under proposed council budget cuts

Thursday, 22 May 2025

They’ve been strung up across Timaru’s main street to herald the arrival of Christmas every year since they were bought in the 1970s, but the town’s Christmas angels are at risk of being left in storage this year.

The Timaru District Council’s Annual Plan for 2025-26 is out for public consultation, and some of the proposed cuts could see a duller festive season this year.

Submissions to the plan close this week.

The council proposes reducing rates increases from 12% down to 9% and is considering a range of other savings on which it is seeking feedback.

Mayor Nigel Bowen said those savings would be “more noticeable” than others planned. They included reductions in services such as mowing, operational hours of facilities, and community funding.

The council is specifically seeking feedback on potential savings from its roading budget, which could mean less maintenance of green spaces, less graffiti removal, less footpath, street and bridge maintenance, less snow clearance and gritting in rural areas, and fewer Christmas decorations.

A further reduced budget for Christmas decorations would mean no provision for repairs, maintenance and installation of the angels on Stafford St.

The potential savings identified add up to about $3.15 million.

The council is also seeking feedback on a possible reduction in services across its facilities, which would result in reduced operating hours, and a plan to cut the amount given out in community funding.

Community funding in jeopardy included the council’s youth initiatives fund, cycleways funding, heritage protection fund and event traffic management fund as well as its major events fund, which is administered by Venture Timaru.

The amount spent on that funding is just over $690,000.

The council also wants feedback on proposed residential and commercial rates and proposed policy changes to its revenue and financing policy, which outlines how the council funds its activities and who pays for them.

In the Annual Plan consultation document, Bowen warned of a challenging year ahead and said the council had worked to find the balance between cost savings and investing in infrastructure and facilities.

“While some of the dual headwinds of high inflation and high interest rates are beginning to subside, changes to central government priorities, major reforms of core council services and one of the most unstable global environments we’ve seen in years have meant we’ve had to take a serious look at everything we do,” he said.

The Annual Plan had to tackle the council’s operational deficit, and as the community was not “in the position to support the rates rises” required, the council had looked to cut its cloth accordingly, Bowen said.

He said big projects such as the redevelopment of the Theatre Royal and Aorangi Stadium had a smaller impact on rates bills as they were paid off over longer periods of time.

“The real savings are made at a smaller day-to-day level. Council staff have been working hard to reduce … costs by cutting spending where they can and looking at more efficient ways of doing things.”

Bowen said no stone had been left unturned in the quest to cut costs, with the council looking at surplus land to sell off, minimising the use of external contractors and consultants, and restructuring its workforce.

As of Wednesday, 36 submissions had been received.

Submissions close at 5pm on Friday. Anyone who makes a submission can request to speak at the Annual Plan hearings on May 27.