There was no need for TCC to have ever courted this violence and public disorder issue.
A majority of the usual council suspects voted for this Bus Centre nonsense. It's cost TCC ratepayers plenty, after being repeatedly told it was the wrong place for it. Now we have the usual knee-jerking and handwringing to employ security in plain daylight to keep order on the CBD streets, right outside council chambers front door, costing $50,000 p.a.(minimum) TCC ratepayers yet again 'told to pay” is completely unacceptable.
The council staff infighting resulting in redundancy and grievance payments totalling $1.3 million since 2007, Mayor Crosby has barged into the fray like a bull in a china shop.
We have Mayor Crosby finally admitting the council's wage cost is $37m/pa, that's 40% of all rates intake. The last audited annual accounts say $39.4m, also conceding staff numbers are about 500 – in fact it's closer to 550+200 CCO's staff with an additional wage bill of $7m/pa and observers don't need to wonder why there's financial misery going down at TCC.
This council outfit is in financial and administrative turmoil, call in the regulators! It is councillors that need a security blanket thrown over them to protect the public from their decisions and excesses…
RR's recently put the total TCC debt at 30-June-2012 at $391m (TCC spin-doctors), while critics put it at $460m (according to Audit NZ) but currently it has gone over $500m by all accounts.

Jenny Dyer, Tauranga.