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Referendum '05 is your opportunity to have a real influence upon how the Council spends your money. It's the first of a number of initiatives that will set a new standard in direct democracy. The key principle is that Wanganui people should determine how ratepayer monies are spent - not individuals and not lobby groups. Referendum '05 is your opportunity to tell Council how it should prioritise spending for new projects over the next 12 months.

The referendum lists 14 optional projects and services to which the Council has yet to commit funding. We want to know what you think the priorities should be for the 2005/06 financial year. Some of the items are major projects, others are smaller projects or optional services. Projects may require one-off funding or ongoing budget allocations over a number of years. This newsletter gives some brief information about each project and how much it will cost.

Your votes will play an influential role in our Annual Plan process. This is when we allocate our budget for the next year. The referendum is non-binding because the Council will need to take into account how much money is available after setting the rest of its 2005/06 budget. It's proposed that some funding will be provided from the sale of non-performing Council assets.

One person, one vote. All Wanganui ratepayers and residents who are on the electoral roll can vote in the referendum. Voting papers will be delivered to your letterbox in the week starting Monday, 2 May 2005. All you need do is mark your top three priorities and return the voting paper to us in the envelope provided. If you spoil your voting paper and need a replacement, contact Customer Services on 349 0001, or email us. Please note that photocopies will not be accepted.

For further information about the referendum projects, contact Customer Services, phone 349 0001, to request more detailed information, or email us.

Subscribe to our email lists. We're building up a database of email addresses as another way to communicate with Wanganui citizens. If you'd like to subscribe to the Council's email distribution lists, please email us. Your email address will be used by the Council only and will not be made available to any other organisation of individual.

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