Cr Bill Faulkner Faulkners Corner www.sunlive.co.nz

Council has been hearing submissions to its proposed annual plan this week. Surprisingly submissions are down by roughly two thirds over past years. Maybe it's because it's post election year, maybe it's because there's more understanding of the city's situation financially, or maybe there's more appreciation of the reasons why we live here.

There are three main threads to this year's submissions: the proposed botanic park at Brookfield, tsunami warning sirens, and flooding on a grand scale in the Portside Drive/Triton Ave area behind the Mount Wharf. There appears to be some misunderstanding about the botanic park. The land is not owned by council. It is owned by the Guardian Trust on behalf of the late Frank Sydenham who willed it for a botanic park. Council was third on the list of potential botanic park ‘developers'.

The others declined so council picked it up as a facilitator for a Botanic Park Trust.

This was formed, but failed when trustees resigned due to threats and intimidation. Meanwhile, council undertakes basic maintenance like mowing etc. Council is not going to sell it. It doesn't own it. The only potential sale can come from the owners.

Only one true warning

Tsunami warning sirens are in big demand by submitters, but as noted in last week's column are not THE panacea for all things tsunami. As one submitter said – ‘an earthquake could be your only warning of a tsunami'.

On an earthquake prone island in the Pacific, the locals have known for centuries to run up the hill each time there's an earthquake and consequently they survive.

In Japan there were stone cairns built years ago warning not to build past that point.

As the years went by and the threat ‘receded' buildings were constructed past the line with subsequent serious loss of life and property.

When the next tsunami arrives it will be a mix of when and where it originates that determines the size of the problem rather than the warning systems we create.

Fixing up the flood risk

There are very real stormwater flooding problems at Portside Drive area at the Mount.

As the area has been built up, the soakage areas have been covered with hard surfaces which create stormwater run off. At high tide there's not much height difference and there is a significant pipe deficit to take all the stormwater away.

Text book fix is around $84 million, quick fix around $6.5 million and we have to do something urgently as business is being refused ongoing flood insurance.

Once again, another example of past council's spending priority neglect.

Who knows best?

Other submissions are wide ranging. Max Mason from the Chamber of Commerce urged council stick with the proposed 10.4 per cent rate revenue increase 'in the interests of future generations”. Max was quoted in the Bay Times of suggesting that council needed some professional governance input from the likes of professional directors presumably by appointment. From experience I can categorically state that no matter who you put on council there is no guarantee you will get the result you, as an individual, would want. Public office and public scrutiny does strange things to some people.

Years ago I approached a well known local businessman and tried to talk him into standing for council. He has a profile that would have almost certainly ensured his election, but he declined instantly, telling me – 'I wouldn't put up with half of what elected members have to put up with, at twice the pay.” And he didn't need the money. So Max, nice thought, but the professional input can come through professional staff and leave the ‘no taxation without representation by those who pay the tax' formula alone. It's not perfect, but light years ahead of the next option. I also note that in the heady days of the mid 80s, council appointed some professional directors to the Boards of Local Authority Trading Enterprises (LATEs) and some of those are/have been before the courts since.

Stopping for a song

A welcome interlude from all the serious stuff when, out of the blue during their submission, Creative Tauranga produced Lydia Hollister-Jones to sing to council her own composition. Resplendent in her school uniform, with guitar behind the podium (with microphone), it was not the greatest setting for a thoroughly professional presentation, but Lydia wowed us. Great stuff and we will be hearing a lot more of Lydia. Thanks.

Raising for the riders

Rob Waddell gave council a 30 minute presentation on why council should support a $4 million grant by the Bay of Plenty Regional Council towards a Cycling Centre of Excellence in Cambridge, which is a two hour drive for 2.5 million people catchment.

He said there would be 65,000 visits a year. SPARC is putting up $7 million and Waikato Regional Council $7 million. They would fundraise the balance. I'm not sure we should/could ask the regional council to do this. I mean, I can think of $4m towards TECT Arena or TECT Park as local priorities for regional council ratepayers – but this will be debated when we deliberate on the annual plan submissions at the end of May.

Worries aside, Tauranga's tops

The bad old days of yesteryear, where there was a lolly scramble for ratepayer handouts has gone. Rarely are submissions frivolous and it's a privilege to listen and read your views on what is proposed. Of course, not everyone agrees and neither would that be expected, but when you consider why you live here you would have to agree with a recent Southern Cross Healthcare Survey that showed Tauranga as a place of easy low stress lifestyle.

This week's mindbender: 'Democracy is the worst form of Government except all those other forms that have been tried before from time to time.” From Winston Churchill – and he would know!