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

By the time you read this, Minister for Local Government Nick Smith will have, or will be about to release, a paper on proposals for changes to the way councils are organised and what they should be doing. An article in the Listener a couple of weeks ago was the forerunner to the process.

The proposals will be bulldozed through in short order with a report back by May this year and implemented by April 2013 ready for the October 2013 elections.

As noted in this column previously, it is unlikely that the rating system will be changed. The purpose of changes purportedly is to put a brake on rate increases.

Good luck on that one.

Electricity reforms when the industry was privatised failed to produce promised savings.

And this proposal is unlikely to fulfil its stated objectives either – in my opinion.

In saying that I will be the first to support council's getting back to core business – colloquially roads, rates and rubbish.

Dismember the anathema

The socialist nonsense of the 2002 Labour Government revamp of the Local Government Act needs rapid dismemberment.

It conferred ‘the power of general competence' on councils; an anathema in terms if ever I heard one.

Councils were ‘to consider social, economic, cultural and environmental' factors in the decision making process.

If ever there was a formula requiring an open cheque book to a bottomless pit of ratepayers money it was this.

Add in ongoing instructions from central government of unpopular (and sometimes very expensive) legislation for councils to take over and you get clues as to how the situation has got to where it is.

You can juggle figures to show whatever outcome suits your argument and this proposal is no exception.

Minister Smith has put out some numbers to support his proposal and the Local Government Association has also published figures to show that local government is nowhere as bad as the minister proposes. The reality is probably somewhere in between.

Put it on the rates

From history we could learn that probably the best the hapless ratepayers can expect is to mark time, on average, over the next 10 years.

Debt already created still has to be repaid. Contracts for service organisations like Sport BOP, Creative Tauranga Art Gallery will still have to be honoured.

And when the contract expires what will happen?

For example the annual $860,000 ratepayer grant to the art gallery is unlikely to come from anywhere else – so we were told.

There are a number of other organisations in similar situations.

Cut off ratepayer money and the organisation will likely cease to exist.

Mergers of councils don't produce real savings either.

Work still has to be done; if we learn from the past.

The exception to this will be the removal of regional councils, which were created in the 1989 Local Government reform.

At the time I said they would become elephants stomping all over people and to some extent that has been born out; perhaps in the case of our local regional council more likely extremely wealthy, powerful elephant?

Largely removed from public view, media scrutiny and popular awareness, they are a luxury that we ratepayers could never afford.

Rustle up the cows

Locally, the Bay of Plenty Regional Council (formerly Environment BOP) is a cash cow using significant amounts of its profits from its (gifted) shares in the Port of Tauranga to subsidise its annual rate demands.

So for what it's worth, another shot at reforms gets a thumbs up from me.

If it's to be, then from today's perspective it seems a merger between the Tauranga City Council and Western Bay of Plenty District Council is worth consideration.

Abolish regional councils and split them up with functions and assets being divided according to need. Rotorua Lakes clean up, to Rotorua and so on.

This could release much needed funding for roads to our port.

Watch this space – we are in for exciting times and with careful guidance maybe this time there will be a major benefit for ratepayers.

Bleak future for Cargo Shed

Back at the coalface at council the future of the Cargo Shed looks terminal.

It's got an earthquake danger factor that means it will probably have to be demolished.

There's certainly no money to sure it up.

Don't do it DIY

From March 1 you will have to be a Licensed Building Practitioner (LBP) to do most building work – another nail in the handyman DIY Kiwi can-do coffin.

Pretty soon there will be a license required to breathe.

And ironically it was central government that was at the root of the building problems that were created by legislation change in the ‘90s!

So now you can't build yourself a house, bach or do structural alterations.

Big brother is protecting you from yourself?

What's it worth?

Creative Tauranga, the art gallery and Sport BOP presented their six month reports on how they are spending their ratepayer grants and their service contracts this week.

Penny Jackson from the art gallery is concerned over security issues created by the bus stop outside.

Setting off alarms, dirty and behavioural problems requiring police intervention, and buses parked over driveway.

Art gallery audit fees from Audit NZ are a whopping $22,700.

I hope Minister Smith looks at these sorts of expense.

Wayne Werder from Sport BOP told elected members that NZ was in the top group of obesity in the OECD counties.

Kiwi's need to get more active (and diet awareness!) otherwise we will head off the Americans!

Park it for developers

CBD parking requirements for new buildings are up for discussion in a bid to stimulate downtown renewal.

It's a controversial action to consider it – it is going for public consultation.

Suffice to say that had the parking requirements been relaxed historically we would most likely already have a hotel on the TV3 site in Durham Street.

A car park now costs $34,000 per space.

Mayor Stuart Crosby said three parks per 100sqm was excessive.

There are 582 spare car parks in the CBD at any given time the CEO said.

Just usually not outside the shop you want to go to when you arrive there.

This week's mindbender from Helen Hayes – 'Age is not important unless you're a cheese!”