The Tauranga City Councillor who proposed the motion to explore charges on some library books is reassessing his position after the first public meeting about this topic.
About 100 people came to the public meeting in Tauranga on Thursday to express their concerns about the proposal.
Councillor Mike Baker put forward the motion, seconded by councillor Rick Curach, so the proposal could go out to community consultation.
Mike says the comments and concerns raised at the meeting made him re-evaluate his stance, but he is still keeping an open mind.
"There were about 150 at the meeting, but there's 110,000 people who live in Tauranga so there's still 109,850 people that didn't attend."
Mike says as an elected representative, he is there to look after the interests of all the other people and making tough decisions is part of that.
The first term councillor hopes the fact that he proposed the idea will not affect his chances of being re-elected later this year.
"We are taking it to the community for debate and it's a healthy debate."
He says many elected representatives all over the country sit back and do nothing just so they can keep their job.
"I'd prefer to be a one term councillor and felt I achieved something rather than a five or six term councillor that achieved nothing."
Posted: 12:00am Sun 04 Apr, 2010
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2 comments
Timing is all!
Posted on 05-04-2010 18:17 | By Andria
Just because people are unable to attend a work-day meeting because of commitments does not mean they are not interested in keeping libraries as easily accessible as possible. Rate-payers already pay for the library and it would be a courtesy to not get them to pay more. Rethnik these additional charges, they seem more likely to reduce library use!
Posted on 08-04-2010 14:05 | By The author of this comment has been removed.
Library books are NOT FREE. Somebody somewhere has to pay Those of you demanding free library books obviously do not CARE whose pockets are picked - just so long as you get your free books. by demanding council provide library books you are demanding the council increase rates. I would like to know why there is no discussion on ALTERNATIVE methods of funding a FREE library? If some people were to spend as much time, effort, "their own money", and using their mind for thinking on investigating a non-compulsive method of funding a library as they do petitioning the council, they would be well underway by now. But NO - all they know is COMPULSION. - Its just too easy to gang up on the council, and bully them into doing what you demand All they know is "thats how its allways been" - no need to think about whether its MORAL, or if there is an alternative. By demanding council increase rates you are taking a mortgage out on the earnings of my children (as RobtDavies points out each of us are already indebted $32,000)
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