Cr Bill Faulkner Faulkners Corner www.sunlive.co.nz

Elected members had a potpourri of items presented at the first meeting of the projects and monitoring committee this week.
This term elected members are seeking increased efficiencies through streamlined committees and a rationalisation of meetings.

For instance, staff write reports which go out in meetings agendas five days before the meeting. This allows for time to read the agenda and research queries. In the past the practice has been for staff to present the report to the committee, which in some cases meant going through again what had already been read. This was largely a waste of time. So now the report is tabled, members ask questions, then, if appropriate, resolutions are moved, debated and put.
Monitoring and information reports were received from Export NZ BOP for six months, which receives $48,000 annually from council/ratepayers, Education Tauranga Sister Cities for six months $5500-8000 annually) and Chamber of Commerce Smart Economy ($55,000). In line with council's request for streamlining, these will now only report annually, but of course staff liaise throughout the year.

Bus business
Transportation taskforce committee has been dropped and transport is now reported directly to projects and monitoring committee. Mayor Stuart Crosby raised the ongoing issue of the 737 buses – yes 737 – that travel weekly down Valley Road at the Mount. It's been a contentious issue for those long suffering residents. I was receiving emails from distressed residents about a year or so ago and since then the moments of resistance have been gathering. Bus timetables and bus routes are the sole domain of the Bay of Plenty Regional Council and the city council has no legal influence over them. Representations to the regional and city councils have had little effect because in their view, Valley Road is the preferred route. Traffic issues with residents are not their concern and so it goes around and around. The 737 buses a week is a lot of heavy traffic on a residential street. Mayor Stuart Crosby, Wayne Moultrie, David Stewart and Rick Curach are to try to work out an acceptable, to all parties, compromise. Good luck!

Tuning in
Elected members heard a 20 minute presentation from two government officials on ‘Going Digital'. This is the changeover to the new TV transmitting system being phased in. It's called digital TV and 70 per cent of people already have changed over to the new system. From November 2013, your old TV won't work unless you have a ‘Freeview' decoding system installed. This will cost between $100 and $450 depending on what you buy and whether you can install it yourself.

Tying the knot
Prior to the meeting some elected members had an informal meeting with some church leaders who are promoting marriage week this week. They are concerned at what they discern as an unusually high rate of divorce in Tauranga.
It was an interesting presentation and if their initiative saves just one marriage then it will be worthwhile, if only for the kids' sake. Council make up marriage wise is probably reflective of its community with long marriages, divorces and one member remarrying his first wife.

Keeping on top
The new Waiari water supply line from the planned new water processing plant from east of Te Puke was discussed. Planned for 2017, it's another big dollar project needed to cope with anticipated growth. The reticulation line will cost about $22 million in today's dollars, plus about $70 million for the plant. It will be paid for mainly by the anticipated growth through development contributions. It's too late to start the work after the growth has happened as history shows. This is the fine balancing act elected members have to do so that infrastructure is ready just in time. It's almost impossible to get this right due to circumstances beyond their control – like the financial downturn. Last week elected members considered applications for water account remissions. This is where water leaks have resulted in larger than usual water accounts. One was for $10,513.79 on a bare block of multiple owned Maori land. Council has advised the trustees of the land between 2004 and 2009 that there were leaks, but nothing has been done to fix them. Eventually council put a water restrictor in the line. Council wasn't blameless in the matter either – letting things go on this long. After discussion, the account was remitted 50/50 less penalties. New trustees are now managing the land.

Dozing it
NZTA ‘The Agency' (formerly Transit) will be doing public presentations on February 22 and 23 of options for a proposed northern link which will bypass Bethlehem. Don't hold your breath for this one, but at least it's on the radar screen. The left turn off 15th Avenue into Howell Place will be closed around July. Access will then be off 16th Avenue. Two houses have been demolished to provide access off 16th Avenue.

Teamwork tops!
City Hall has at last issued a media release concerning correspondence to the papers about City Partners. Some of this correspondence was wrong in fact and belatedly this statement sets the record straight. From where I sit, City Partners is a great initiative and of enormous benefit to our city.