Nearly $500,000 spent on outside consultants relating to Council staff review and CCO restructuring.
This will be the tip of the iceberg and the final cost by all accounts will be way, way more than that.
Dealing with the staff review this was a ‘Clayton's' effort that achieved no meaningful savings or reduction in bloated staff levels and didn't address systems at all. A complete waste of time and money without benefit to TCC ratepayers!
CCO merger costs put at $225,000 – Directors fees increased to $220,000 per annum which has added $570,000 to the total cost already over 3 years with no TCVL/TCAL staff reductions. Savings are said to be $1.8m per annum over 3 years so to make these savings, extra costs incurred mean $2m per annum is now required.
It simply won't happen! Morrison Low has reported the merger will provide significant benefits but they have not by all accounts even prepared a business plan, budget, objectives and so on. How on earth then can anyone come up with the figures they do – operations stay the same, no staff reductions, no loss of facilities, so what is changing to save in excess of $2 m per annum.
TCC wouldn't take CCO's back because Council can't massage the terrible financial figures.

R Paterson, Matapihi.