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

Have you had a look at the proposed (draft) annual/three year/10 year plan from Bay of Plenty Regional Council (BOPRC)? Probably not? Given it is a proposal if it gets the big tick in June from the Regional Councillors it will not be good news for ratepayers.

Tauranga ratepayers get plenty of media scrutiny of TCC happenings. Hardly any media scrutiny of Western Bay and almost nil for BOPRC. In fact most people are only vaguely aware of the Regional Council and what it does.

The city collects the Regional Council rate on their behalf, and gets paid around $120,000 for the service. This is a great investment by the Regional Council to help keep them below the ratepayers' radar. I'm not going to get into much detail over this as we have enough to cope with our own annual/thee/10 year plan. But as a teaser I think a proposed 10% - 12% BOPRC rate increase is unacceptable. As is subsidising (masking?) their true costs with profits from the shareholding in the Port Company. Then there is the matter of the bond issue they made some years ago of some $200 million which they borrowed to create an infrastructural assistance fund to help local Councils fund the likes of cleaning up the Rotorua Lakes, Tauranga roading and other initiatives.

Rotorua Lakes

Well, the Rotorua Lakes got some dollars as they should and a few other bits and pieces but the majority of the fund languishes, unused for the purpose of which it was borrowed. And here's the rub. They have it invested at an increased interest rate from that which they borrowed it at and are using the difference as income in much the same way as Port Company profit.

I hear the IRD is on to them to use it in the manner the law requires. There are plenty of infrastructure requirements that can easily soak up the $185 million or so that remain. But hey, that will mean more rates increases over and above. The justification for these proposed rates increases will no doubt revolve around 'it's not much in dollar terms” 'it's only a cup of coffee a week” and other mindless clichés that saw TCC rate revenue demand soar from $25m to over $100m in about 10 years. As an outside observer you could be forgiven for thinking that the four Tauranga regional councillors are outnumbered by the rest of the Bay. They are! Tauranga represents a significantly greater proportion of the BOPRC rates income and receives only a fraction back in services. So unless some serious action is taken ratepayers will be taken to the cleaners in the next few years by the Regional Council. Tauranga City will be taking a strong submission to them and it is in your interests to do the same.

Clean air

While on the subject of Regional Council I can, at long last, report an outcome on that light grey dusts that settles over parts of the city. I first wrote of this over three years ago. Sulphur Point and Beach Road cops it in easterly winds and Pitau Road at the Mount in sou'westers are two sample areas. The Regional Council is responsible for clean air and they commissioned an environmental scientist to research it. There were all sorts of conspiracy theories. The outcome is that the dust is real. Colloquially called 'urban dust” it is an amalgam of all sorts of contamination from a city environment with no one contaminant standing out, we were told. It apparently accumulates on the vast asphalt area of the port company, gets stirred up by the enormous traffic in the area and gets blown over the city. And you gave up smoking for your health? What will happen to try to remedy this problem is the next step.

Business rates

At Joint Governance Committee TCC/Western Bay elected members received reports from Priority One and Tourism BOP both jointly funded by a target rates on businesses. Andrew Coker from Priority One said Sunlive was doing good business for them. Glen Ormsby from Tourism BOP said it has been suggested a sign on the Auckland waterfront to promote Tauranga might read 'Move your business to Tauranga, Auckland doesn't give a ship.” Joint Governance discussed possible Local Government reform and focussed on issues surrounding our council's lack of money and the Regional Council being awash with it. There's a solution in there somewhere I detect!

As reported last week there was an Extraordinary Full Council meeting to discuss the way forward for the Swim Pools and Tauranga City Aquatics Ltd (TCAL) who run them. Options to be explored include the existing management structure, a separate structure for asset management and ownership, contracting out and being brought back in house. TCAL will make the recommendation but the final decision will be Councils.

Interesting observation I made the other day. I was standing in line at the movies. A lady ahead with two young kiddies bought the three tickets and a box of popcorn. $40 thanks and she handed over the money without blinking. Imagine if we could get the same acceptance of who should pay, and how much, at the pools. And you can stay all day at the pools!

Making the limelight

Some time ago I mentioned that we should commemorate some of Tauranga's characters and creators who helped make our city but who never made the limelight. One such person was Michael Hodgkins aka 'Springheel Jack” and his Scottish terrier Angus. I never gave up and have discovered there is Government funding available for such art work. Yep, I'm a culture vulture after all – I have spoken to Creative Tauranga and a process is underway to have a mural painted by Owen Dippie who is doing the mural on the side of the Bronco's building in the old Masonic Hotel carpark downtown. Next step is we need a photo of Michael so if you can help please contact me. Phone 027 310 1242 or email: [email protected]

This week's mindbender from John Naisbitt – we are drowning in information but starved for knowledge and wisdom.