Hamilton City Councillor and mayoral candidate Sarah Thomson says core council services will be protected under her leadership if elected mayor.
During the 2024–2034 Long-Term Plan process, there were attempts by some councillors to make cuts to a range of key services.
These included City Safe, library hours, mowing and garden maintenance, cleaning bus shelters, repainting road markings, sweeping intersections, customer service hours, and support for community-led events.
“I strongly opposed these cuts at the time. They didn’t go through in the end — but only by a small margin,” Thomson said.
“I want us to all live in a safe, well-maintained, attractive city that we’re proud of. Voters can have certainty that, under my leadership, services like these won’t be at risk.”
“I believe in delivering residents value for money. But I don’t believe in short-sighted cost cutting to services that add real value to our city.”
“Cutting these services would have left Hamilton worse off — with reduced access to libraries and community events, more poorly maintained public spaces, and a less safe city overall. Services like City Safe are vital to supporting our local businesses and helping residents feel secure when out and about.”
Thomson says the council needs to take a longer-term approach to saving money.
“There are better ways to manage spending without cutting the services core to making Hamilton a good city to live in.”
“Some savings might take a few years to achieve, but the benefit is that they’ll be ongoing.”
One of her priorities, if elected mayor, will be working with neighbouring councils to deliver services more efficiently.
“We’ve already taken the step to work with our closest neighbour, Waikato District Council, on water services — a partnership expected to save tens of millions over the next 10 years. We’re also saving $3.5 million a year by teaming up with other Waikato councils on shared procurement, such as electricity contracts.”
“It’s time to put aside council boundaries and lead with a clear vision — one that delivers smarter spending and protects the services our residents value most.”