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MARCH 14, 2024
Councillors ‘keep mum’ By Mary Anne Gill
The level of public excluded discussions by Waipā councillors about the district’s financial woes became more evident this week. In approving a draft annual plan on Tuesday, councillors agreed to put the $33 million Te Ara
We say… Councillors given access to confidential information understand they have a statutory responsibility not to discuss it in public. But at a time when the electorate is complaining about a range of issues, elected representatives who have barely debated an issue in public during this term might ask themselves if this was the right time to “keep mum”.
Wai museum, Cambridge Library Hub, Pirongia Cycleway and Cambridge Town Hall projects on hold, increase rates by 14.8 per cent and add $101.7 million to existing debt levels. Councillors had known about the proposals for weeks and work shopped them behind closed doors, but one councillor queried the approach which gave staff the mandate to consult with affected stakeholders before this week’s Strategic Planning and Policy committee meeting. Roger Gordon said it had been very hard “to keep mum”, particularly in Cambridge where there was an “uprising”. “Everywhere you go in Cambridge there’s a reaction about ‘what’s happening in our town’,” he said. Lack of parking, speed
bumps, cycleways, road closures and a perceived lack of consultation over the proposed third bridge were all hot topics, he said. “People only got the information about the bridge when it appeared in the paper.” Included in the draft plan is capital expenditure of $5.9 million on a Business Accommodation Strategy. Asked to explain what that was, deputy chief executive Ken Morris said it was money to be spent on upgrading and opening the former Te Awamutu Museum building– closed in October 2022 because of an earthquake risk - so the public could see the museum’s “amazing taonga”. Committee chair Liz Stolwyk said it was councillors’ responsibility
Councillors and staff pictured at this week’s meeting in Te Awamutu, chaired by Liz Stolwyk (top centre). Photo: Mary Anne Gill.
now to respond to residents’ concerns. “We’re talking about a pause. Taking a breath and looking at the environment.” Part of the public consultation was around whether the heritage protected Cambridge Water Tower should be demolished for $771,000 or repaired for $5.6 million. They could also comment on the council’s debt level, currently sitting
at $296.8 million with a recommendation to increase that to $398.5 million by June 30 next year. “With what has happened in the inflationary environment, debt has become a very important factor,” said Morris who described it as significant and growing quickly. Mayor Susan O’Regan said nobody wanted the council to be in the position it was but it was taking a fiscally
responsible route “I’m not saying we’re liking it.” Communication and Engagement manager Lisa Nairne said public consultation now would be “largely story telling” about the council’s financial position and growth and how difficult it had been for councillors to make hard decisions around the table. Consultation starts on April 5 and finishes on April 26.
...and staff are under pressure a report to the committee detailed, the information could also be wrong and prevent council being able to control the narrative. Strategy manager Melissa Russo said the four ‘very high’ risks were not achieving timeframes, manual preparation of the budget, general illness/stress, and an aggressive community response. The two high ones are concerns a new consultation system would make it difficult to collect and analyse stakeholder information and the second was around community expectations on what the council
By Mary Anne Gill
Waipā staff painted a brutal picture this week of the pressure they are under to produce an Annual Plan by June 30. At the council’s Audit and Risk committee on Monday, staff revealed eight new risks following the decision to delay the 10-year Long Term Plan and produce an Enhanced Annual Plan in less than four months. Councillors leaking confidential information was one of the risks. Leaks would not only result in a lack of trust between staff and elected members,
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due to the health and safety risk to elected members and staff and the reputational risk to council of misinformation circulating in the community,” said Russo. Also very high are seasonal illnesses which have increased among staff and these, coupled with stress, could lead to slippage in deliverables and timeframes. Evidence of how critical the risks are were obvious in the matters discussed in public excluded which included a “deep dive” into the top risks and a discussion with chief executive Garry Dyet over organisational risk.
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could deliver. The two medium ones are the risk of there being a legal challenge to council’s decision to defer the Long Term Plan and the leaking of confidential information by elected members. The report reveals staff have put procedures in place if the community turns nasty. That includes putting council offices in lockdown – something they have had to do in the past and which resulted in the installation of security grills over the counters. “This risk has been rated ‘very high’
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