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Cr Bill Faulkner Faulkners Corner www.sunlive.co.nz |
Two workshops this week. Workshops are a far less formal working environment that allow elected members to have a full discussion around issues.
Mostly open to the public, advertised, but only rarely do the daily media turn up. No decisions are made. Once the discussion has been had the matter is then placed on a formal agenda. At the formal meeting questions are taken but once a resolution is formally moved elected members are only allowed to speak once. Usually. And for only five minutes each. Usually.
The first workshop was on what to do with the rates surplus of $3.7 million. Staff told us that the surplus was made up of $400,000 of interest not having to be paid on the reduced capital works programme, $500,000 on a lower than assumed official cash rate. Cheaper loan funding $700,000, rates penalties $500,000, lower staff costs $300,000 and 'unders” across the board of around $1.5 million. Included in that was $430,000 in storm water depreciation account and $500,000 in less roading depreciation and better contract rates for roading maintenance. Plus some other odds and ends for those of you adding all that up.
The rates penalties are of significant concern. Taking an average rate of around $1800 and a 10% penalty that means over 2500 ratepayers having trouble paying up. And budget for next year's rates penalty income is up to $750,000 or around 3500 ratepayers. That's horrendous when you consider the consequences, not only for those individuals but also for the community. Reflect on all those well-intentioned but, in my view, misguided elected members who spent up over all those so called 'good” years. The 'wants, needs and deserves” proponents!
It was hard going for those of us opposing this discretionary spending and for years we lost issue after issue on a vote of 7-4 on the 11 member council or 9-4 on the then 13 member council. Even the Labour Government's Shard report of 2007 warned of rates unsustainability.
Back to the workshop and we will have at least three options of what to do with the $3.7 million surplus. Offset next year's rates. Increase risk management reserve (this is Council's rainy day basket). Retain it as cash/repay debt. Policy is the first $500,000 goes to debt repayment. It will be on the full council agenda for a decision.
Next up was a 'silver birch” workshop. Policy is not to plant silver birches anymore but we're still dealing with 759 of them growing. In a park they can last on average 100 years and on road reserves 50 years, staff said. Staff get around 60 enquiries a year for silver birch removal and of those about three make it to council. It costs on average $416.81 to remove a tree and replace it. Council budget is $365,332 for street tree maintenance. Not a lot when you consider a bad storm can cost $40,000 to clean up tree debris.
How to decide what trees go when some want to retain a tree and others want it gone? After what Wayne Moultrie described as a 55 minute talkfest it was decided to continue with the present relaxed mechanism which seems to work okay. Not perfect. A small committee will be formed to assist staff as an advisory function but people will still have recourse to full council.
It must have worked because at the Strategy and Policy Committee meeting that followed that afternoon a request from Tauranga Citizen's Club to drop two silver birches and replace them at their expense took about three minutes. Much better than the previous 38 minutes where staff time gets wasted as they sit around having to listen to tree issues. I asked how many elected members had lived with silver birches and only five had.
An alert on Smartgrowth. 'Recognising Cultural Heritage and Change Actions.” Entitled 'representation and co-governance arrangements resulting from Treaty of Waitangi settlements.” They are to establish a forum and amongst matters to be discussed is 'to promote discussion on Maori representation on partner councils through Maori seats.” This gets a recommended 'urgent” timeframe.
As a New Zealander I am firmly opposed to compulsory Maori seats such as they have on the regional council. If Maori seats are to be created then it should go to referendum for you all to have your say. Not just chosen by elected members of the day on any particular council.
Tauranga will develop a 'Smokefree Places” policy. I asked it to be voluntary and educational. There is to be no smoking police. Areas to be considered include playgrounds, sports grounds, bus stops, public areas around council's community facilities like swim pools, halls, centres, libraries, public toilets, public car parks, village on 17th. Once a draft is prepared it will go out for your comment and submission.
Wastewater Management Review Committee has had applications from iwi groups for the available funding of $250,000. This fund, paid out of your wastewater rates was required by the regional council who issued the resource consent for the wastewater plant ocean outfall discharge pipe. The fund has many purposes required including 'to avoid remedy or mitigate actual or potential adverse effects associated with the operation of the wastewater scheme. It 'also required” as a minimum to consult with iwi and hapu which hold Kaitiaki status. There are a raft of other requirements. As you can imagine it's a potential hornet's nest so independent consultants were called in to offer expert opinion. Details are still confidential but I'll let you know when everyone involved has been advised.
This week's mindbender – a classic. 'Nothing is foolproof to a sufficiently talented fool.”
