Waikato District Council looks set to open Raglan Library for one night each week. A statement in the consultation version of its Long Term Plan (LTP) says, “The opening hours of five libraries in the district are to be extended with one late night for each and Meremere will add four more hours during the day. For three of the libraries – Raglan, Huntly and Te Kauwhata – the extended hours would include other council services such as dog registration. Funding will come from the general rate at a yearly cost of $63,000 plus inflation.” As the Raglan Library currently opens from 9am to 5pm on Monday to Friday and from 9.30am to 12.30pm on Saturdays, the planned extension would see it open to 8pm on one night a week. The Council says that an online survey in 2014 found that 83% of library respondents favoured an increased level of service for libraries.
Although the proposal in the LTP seems quite definite, the Waikato Council is asking your view on the extended hours and provides two options:
Option 1: Increased hours (recommended option) In response to community feedback this option increases the hours of opening to one late night (three additional hours) per week. Extending the hours of opening makes it easier for daytime workers, students and businesses and clubs (eg Genealogy Group) to make use of our facilities and to engage in learning opportunities. It also enables people to do some council business after hours eg pay their rates bill. The additional cost to do this will be $63,000 in year one and taken from the general rate.
Option 2: Leave opening hours as they are This means we would keep opening hours as they are and not all of the benefits described above can be achieved. Costs remain the same.
You can vote for or against the extended hours using the form at the back of the LTP or online at http://consult.waidc.govt.nz/consult24ols/
In regard to library charges the LTP doesn’t propose any reductions or increases for these. Ratepayers who have a broken library card will still have to pay $3 to get a new one issued. These cards do wear out and gradually break. It would be good if the Council provided a replacement card every three years at no charge. Surely that wouldn’t break the Council’s budget.
There is no charge proposed for the library internet service, so it seems that the free global phone call service via SKYPE will continue to be available at Raglan Library for Raglan’s international tourists.
Good news, but not what Raglan asked for when 25% of us responded to the Community Board last October. Then 237 said they wanted more footpaths (plus 143 for the Manu Bay path) 185 a heated swimming pool, 158 extra CBD parking (we’ve since had the extra 57 spaces on James St)
and 135 for more buses. Why are we being asked to approve this, but no mention of what Raglan asked for? Council manager Tony Whittaker doesn’t have a ready answer; he’s taken almost a week and still not been able to answer the question. It seems Raglan’s wishes have just been forgotten, whilst our rates are put up to even more unaffordable levels to pay for schemes we’ve not asked for.