Some letters in September 27's The Weekend Sun about financial matters stand out.
Firstly, the letter by R Paterson and the huge debt of the Tauranga City Council. Analyst Larry Mitchell gave us the frightening figures at the Citizens Advocacy Meeting, the debt ratio stands at $10,000 per ratepayer.
I hope that someone from TCC will take up the challenge of the writer to have the figures professionally analysed.
Another thought-provoking letter was from Bryan Johnson about preferential health treatment for Maori. I also read the same report and thought ‘What health inequality?'.
I agree with him, it is personal responsibility to follow sensible guidelines, to not smoke or overdo on alcohol. It costs just $17 to visit a doctor at a Maori health provider, so poor personal finances are not a factor - probably cheaper than a packet of ciggies.
Perhaps it is simply a case of juggling priorities to follow through with healthcare.
Just to clarify, I believe the $17 is not exclusively for Maori.
The third worriesome letter was about a promised golden handshake of $400,000 for Western Bay of Plenty District Council's CEO.
Are there any backroom deals our Tauranga council has stashed away we are not privy to? Are the books open?
These letters demonstrate a drain on our city finances and are a starting point to get back on track.

R. Bishop, Pyes Pa.