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Western Bay of Plenty District councillors and community board members are this afternoon celebrating with family and friends after being sworn into office at an inaugural meeting in Katikati today.

About 60 people, including the councillors and board members with their loved ones, attended the meeting, beginning with a powhiri at 1pm.

Deputy Mayor Gwenda Merriman and Mayor Ross Paterson.

By making their declarations, the councillors and community board members pledged to be bound by up to 158 pieces of legislation which govern how councils operate.

Commenting on the challenges faced by Council, Mayor Ross Paterson says Council will continue to focus on planning for future growth, preparing for pending local government reform under the Better Local Government legislation and most importantly, continuing to run a fiscally sustainable Council.

'Our communities all face tough financial times and their ability to pay for infrastructure and amenities is limited. I am very mindful of this and I'd like to make it very clear that as a Council we will not be jumping to any conclusions regarding amalgamation with Tauranga City.''

While there is much conjecture about local government reorganisation, Ross says it is premature to assume the outcome for the Bay of Plenty.

'Our Council will be thinking far more broadly in terms of what is in the best interests of the entire Bay of Plenty region – and we will be ensuring that the communities of interest are protected within the Western Bay.

'At this stage it would be very premature for any local government politician to second-guess the final outcome of central government's reform programme or presume what direction this District and the wider region may take in the future.”

One of the toughest challenges during the three years will be to balance Council's forecast future capital spending programme with the affordability of ratepayers, says Ross.

'In all debates on our ability to cater for future growth we must be ever-mindful of the financial constraints of our ratepayers. Under my leadership this Council will take a firm line to sustain our policy of constrained spending to reflect our communities' ability to pay.''

He says the encouraging credit rating of A+/A-1 just received by Council from the international credit ratings agency Standard & Poor's is of great assurance.

'This judgement shows we have a stable financial outlook and reflects Council's strong fiscal management culture and the expertise of Council's senior management.

'In addition, Standard & Poor's stated that Council's strong budgetary performance and positive financial outlook has a one-in-three chance of a further upgrade in the next two years.”

Commenting on the make-up of the Council Ross says it has a solid mix of new talent with a rich depth of business acumen, commercial experience, governance skills and leadership that will serve the district well.

'Our committee structure has been revised to better deliver on Council's responsibilities.

'This Council has a track record of delivering tangible results, whether that be the fundamentals of managing core services, such as roading, water and wastewater, to working with the community to deliver cost effective plans to take the District forward.''