You speak directly with the people elected to represent you.

Please see the link below with the details of Franklin Local Board Members.

Franklin Local Board

The rate would be set at $52 (GST inclusive) per annum.

The annual cost charged to your rates will increase with the cost of inflation. This will be consulted on through the Annual Budget process every year and is consistent with how Auckland Council sets fees.

The rate will apply to each Separately Used or Inhabited Part (SUIP) property in the Franklin Local Board area

It will apply to property owners, urban, rural and commercial properties

10 years from July 2024

To extend the time period, Auckland Council would have to consult the community first, likely during a Long Term Plan year (every three years)

Approximately $20 million over 10 years

If the targeted rate is not introduced, funding for paths, footpaths and pedestrian crossing projects (capital projects) in the Franklin area will be based on what is currently proposed to be funded in existing Auckland Council and Auckland Transport budgets.

Auckland Transport is in the process of revising the draft Regional Land Transport Plan (RLTP) which prioritises capital projects for the 2023-2028 period. In the draft RLTP (to be consulted on in 2024) there are:

no active mode (walking and cycling) capital projects in Franklin

no new footpaths in Franklin, or footpath improvements in Franklin.

New footpaths in Franklin will only occur as part of new residential or commercial developments.

There are competing demands across the region and given the geographical size of Franklin and the low population density, there are more pressing demands elsewhere.

In other words, if we want it, we need to pay for it….or get in line and wait for years/decades.

The Auckland Transport budget for new footpaths across the whole of Auckland is $2million for 2024/2025. This will deliver approximately 1 km of new footpath (which includes dealing with site specific supporting infrastructure and issues eg adding kerb and channel, drainage, trees, and dealing with services such as water pipe/underground power lines etc).

New footpaths in new developments are paid for by the developer.

The local board area is divided into three subdivisions – Waiuku, Pukekohe and Wairoa. The programme of investment has been developed to reflect the distribution of revenue from each local board subdivision. This means the targeted rate collected from the Wairoa subdivision will be spent within the Wairoa subdivision.

This applies across the 10-year programme rather than on an individual year by year basis. That means in any one year more investment may be made in one subdivision area than their share of revenue but that over the course of the 10-year programme any funding raised in a subdivision area will be invested in that area.

click here to view a map of the Franklin Local Board area

Our starting list of projects is based on requests to Auckland Council and Auckland Transport from the community gathered over a number of years, from priority projects identified within our paths plans, and feedback from local communities.

The annual cost charged to your rates will increase with the cost of inflation. This will be consulted on through the Annual Budget process every year and is consistent with how Auckland Council sets fees

Yes, we can add new routes where there is community demand, however changing the programme would need to be consulted on through the Annual Budget process and there would need to be cost savings from other projects, or some projects stopped and funds re-allocated.

Within 2-3 years a number of low-complexity projects will be completed. There is substantial portfolio of projects (footpaths, pedestrian crossings, shared paths) with a range of technical complexity to construct. Many projects with lower technical complexity will be completed within 1-3 years. Others will take longer. We anticipate projects being delivered over the whole 10 year period.

38 Projects have been identified and will be prioritised over the 10-year period that the programme is running.

It is a legal requirement that a Targeted Rate is used for the purpose it was collected for and must stay within the local board area it was collected ie the Franklin Local Board area. The local board has also given direction that the rates collected within each subdivision should be spend within that subdivision. Eg rates collected in the Pukekohe subdivision will be spent in the Pukekohe subdivision.

The list of projects have been identified and proposed by members of the public, supported by the local board.

The rate will raise approximately $20 million. This targeted rate is a seed funding for all these projects and may need additional funding and support from elsewhere.

We will be. This isn’t the total budget for the whole programme. We intend to seek funding elsewhere from developers, from central government funds and from other third parties. We consider this targeted rate as a ‘seed fund’ to then attract additional funding from elsewhere.

Once we have the rate in place, we will have a Programme Manager who will manage the whole programme. This Programme Manager can work with community group who want to help deliver paths in their local area and we encourage this as it make things much cheaper. Local businesses may want to provide materials, staff time, or sponsorship for paths in their local area. We encourage all local involvement as it will make the funding go further.

The board has the opportunity every year to make changes to it’s budget on behalf of the community. If you have strong feelings on this, you should talk directly with your elected members.

The board could ask the community if it wanted to continue to pay the rate to fund more projects. Or the rate would end and the paths would be maintained by council on an ongoing basis.

So are we. $480,000 for a raised crossing seems like a lot of money for a pedestrian crossing. We know that the cost of crossings has been in the news and people are not happy about the cost. However, it’s important to note that when AT puts in a crossing, it also has to put in drainage, lighting, etc to meet design and safety standards. So that figure of $480,000 isn’t just for the crossing itself, but also all of the associated engineering. And raised crossings do slow traffic down, which means it’s safer for pedestrians.

At the moment the programme includes funding for 10 crossings, the costings based on AT designs. It may be that they aren’t all built to current raised crossing design standards, and it may be that some could be pedestrian refuges, or unraised crossings. This detail will all come out as the programme progresses.

We want the PTR to go as far as possible so we will be asking AT to do things as cheaply as possible.

Auckland Transport is responsible for the physical assets constructed in the road corridor, so they set standards for paths along roads. Whereas Auckland Council sets standards for paths in parks and reserves. AT has design standards for gravel paths in rural areas. We will be working with the AT Design Standards Office to try and agree sensible engineering standards for new paths in rural areas or low-speed, low-traffic volume roads.

It is also important to think about the long term maintenance costs. Concrete paths are expensive to put in, but they have less ongoing maintenance. Gravel paths are much cheaper, but likely to have more ongoing maintenance costs. It is more expensive to get contractors to go back and undertake maintenance in the road corridor than on Auckland Council reserves or Parks. This is because of the increased danger, and need for trafffic management, and health and safety planning, so contractors and road users are kept safe when working.

Also gravel paths are not always the best solution – they work well in flat well-drained areas, but get washed away on slopes and where there is overland flow paths. So sometimes there needs to be a combination of gravel path, concrete and boardwalk. This level of detail will happen as each project progresses.

We will be pushing hard for appropriate solutions for rural areas and use of cheaper gravel paths where the site is appropriate.

The data below summarises the number and type of ratepayers across Franklin and predicted rates generated, and the average increase. Overall, proportion of rates collected will be:

Pukekohe subdivsion 49%

Wairoa subdivision 31%

Waiuku sudvision 21%

Development contributions are fees charged to developers to recover a share of the cost of infrastructure for a new development.

Revenue from these charges is used for new or upgraded infrastructure for: transport, footpaths, roads and intersections parks and sportsgrounds drainage and stormwater systems community facilities.

This means that development contributions are not available to build paths within existing areas of development eg existing places. They can only be spent within new development areas. One of the key purposes of the proposed PTR is to provide funding for ‘missing connections’, where developers have put in paths within their development, but there is no connection to existing places/gaps in the paths etc.

You can find detailed information about programme of works in the Supporting Information document on akhaveyoursay.nz/ourplan.

You can also find information about the proposed programme of work at this site hosted by our community partner.

At the end of the 10 year period, ongoing maintenance costs will be met by the controlling authority. Auckland Transport will be responsible for maintenance of paths assets in the road corridor, and Auckland Council will be responsible to maintenance of paths assets on council land. Funding for this would come from operational budgets.

The current proposed programme of work does not include any paths over private land, (with the minor exception of part of the Glenbrook Vintage Railway connection / path (#3 Southern Walkway in the Waiuku proposal) where “signed agreements in principle for access easements” are already in place with affected landowners).

Paths constructed over private land often provide cheaper, safer, and more enjoyable alternatives to constructing paths within the Auckland Transport Road Corridor or across Auckland Council parkland. Path access over private land must be secured in perpetuity via a public access walking and cycling easement. This protects the infrastructure investment if the property is sold in the future. Members of the public can help engage with private landowners to investigate their openness to public access easements. Ultimately, public access easements are voluntary, and the landowner decides if one should be established and where. Route investigation can be paused temporarily, while landowner conversations are held. But ultimately, if a landowner is unwilling to commit to a walking and cycling easement, path development needs to continue using alternative public access options.

Updates on the projects will be provided on the Franklin Path and Trails website as well as through the Franklin Local Board communication channels – The Franklin Local Board Facebook page and the Franklin e-newsletter. This will be via a formal report to the board’s business meeting and through the boards quarterly reporting cycle. Agendas and minutes for the board’s meetings can be found at: infocouncil.aucklandcouncil.govt.nz

There is no specific review date, however it is anticipated the board will review the rate through the Long Term Plan/Annual Budget consultation process. This is required if the board wants to change the amount of the rate, or significantly change the proposed programme of works. The rate will be struck for 10 years so any extension of time would also be required to go to public consultation.

The Local Board is focused on providing quality Paths and Trails for the whole of Franklin. This means that project costs may fluctuate. While the Targeted Rate will generate roughly $20 million, project budgets may fluctuate as projects are fully scoped or as other funding streams are identified. In this case, the board would welcome any contributions that will help make ratepayer investment go further.

• The Franklin Paths Programme is funded through a targeted rate, collected each year. This means we can only spend what is a collected in a given financial year, rather than all at once. Because of this the programme will be phased over 10 years. Each year, the Franklin Local Board decides which projects to endorse, so some may progress sooner than others depending on priorities and available funding.

• Projects are progressed based on Franklin Local Board endorsement. Each year, the Board reviews the programme and decides which projects to endorse. Once a project is endorsed, it is prioritised to move into delivery, beginning with investigation and planning.

Investigation – Investigation is the first stage in which we explore the site and gather essential information to help shape the project. This can include assessing the area, surveying boundaries, identifying underground services, starting early design ideas, and engaging with nearby owners and residents to understand local needs.

Planning – The planning stage involves developing both preliminary and detailed engineering designs, gathering community feedback, and securing all necessary approvals – including resource and building consents. This stage also includes seeking endorsement from the Local Board to ensure alignment with community priorities.

Pre-Construction – In the pre-construction stage, we prepare the site and notify nearby owners and residents about upcoming works. We share key project details, engage with affected property owners and residents, and begin early site tasks such as land clearing and arborist work. This stage also includes appointing the construction team responsible for building the project and delivering the physical works on the ground.

Construction – Construction is when the work begins, and when the project starts taking shape on the ground. While we aim to minimise disruption – some noise, access changes, or temporary closures may occur. Affected residents and landowners will be informed ahead of time, with further updates provided throughout the process.

Completion – The construction of the structure is complete and is ready to be opened for public use. The asset will be passed onto the relevant controlling authority for management and maintenance, with this being either Auckland Council or Auckland Transport, depending on the type of structure.