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

The appointment of Tauranga City's new CEO is nearing completion. An announcement is imminent. As I've mentioned before, it is a long drawn-out process where you have to be fair to everyone. To those who proffer 'I could do the job for half the price.” – no you couldn't and you wouldn't. Council is unanimous in its determination that as the local government scene has changed nationally, the Tauranga's scene has to change to match those conditions.

Making the best of our assets

Informal discussion amongst elected members indicates a drastic change to how the next ten year plan is managed. Setting a financial limit to work within and then setting the priorities to match that limit is on the agenda. This is something I have begged and pleaded for over the years, with little support, as previous councils racked up the budgets with the ‘nice to haves' for the ‘wants, needs and deserves' brigade. If this new philosophy is adopted it will come as a relief to some ratepayers, a shock to others and those in the middle accepting that this had to be done. Levels of service will be on the radar – seriously. Basic services like water, wastewater and stormwater must continue as is. Road maintenance that attracts government subsidies will also continue as is. We have to sell strategic and non-strategic property assets. We have to make the best and most of what we already have. This might mean fewer new sports fields and adding floodlights and artificial surfaces. This means people adjusting to new sports schedules as more people use existing amenities. I doubt we will go down the user pays avenue yet again. It's previously been pain for little gain and the inroads into the rates revenue stream that are needed won't come from that.

So those little distractions that were previously attempted, which got some of you all fired up, are not likely to be raised again. This time it will have to be big ticket items. That will NOT include sale of monopoly council services like water and wastewater. I've generated a page of council activities that the permanent chief executive could look at. No doubt, some of my colleagues have done the same so it will be a busy time for the appointee.

Clearing up issues

It seems the short note in last weeks column about the Tauranga Golf Club's new lease in the K Valley caused confusion for some. The new lease is for an additional 4.7 hectares of rough, swampy ground in the K Valley, from which it will develop two new holes. These will replace two holes sacrificed from the existing 45 hectare lease to provide new training facilities. The total golf club lease is now 49.7 hectares and expires in 2039.

The matter of the waterfront redevelopment of the Coronation Pier and other matters is the subject of confidential discussions with the developer. The reason it is confidential is to protect his right to privacy over his business matters. But, the actual structure proposal will be in the public arena once business negotiations are concluded.

Baypark the last social amenity

Tauranga City Venues Ltd, who manage Baypark Stadium, reported their six monthly report. They are coming back to report further detail in response to elected members questions. The economic downturn has made things difficult and consequently, if you take out the TECT grant, it's not a rosy picture. There is no rates subsidy for Baypark and none is provided for in the annual or 10 year plan.

The new Indoor Sports and Exhibition Centre, Baypark Arena, being built adjacent to the Baypark Stadium had a public open day last Sunday. Comments I heard from visitors were prefaced with 'Wow!” It certainly will be ‘wow' once it's finished late this year. It will cost around $3 million per year to run. When it opens, the Mount Action Centre will close, this is leased and was always intended as an interim measure, which unfortunately became too permanent.
Baypark Arena is probably the last big social amenity for a long time if the austerity measures referred to earlier come to pass. It will be a real stimulus to Tauranga's economy and in tandem with Baypark Stadium will hopefully produce synergies for stadium usage. With no rates subsidy in the budgets, Baypark has to get a lot more innovative and quickly.

Perfect wastewater compliance

At Wastewater Management Review, committee members were told by the independent consultants, required by the resource consent in the annual report, that the council wastewater discharge was 100 per cent compliant and that council was 'highly proactive in compliance.”
Council sends 5000 tonnes of sludge annually to the nearest licensed sludge disposal facility at Hampton Downs, near Hamilton. Periodic odour problems from both wastewater plants have a variety of causes. Business nearby are quick to complain, understandably, but the plants were there first. Interesting to hear, from 1997 to 2004 wastewater volumes dropped from 290 litres per person per day to 230 litres. This coincided with the introduction of water consumption meters and has saved millions in new wastewater treatment facilities. This was predicted at the time and used in calculations of the multiple benefits of water meters – and ridiculed by naysayers at the time. These basic council services in Tauranga are the essential ingredient to our city and everything else comes after that. As, at last, council is recognising and giving priority to.

This week's mind bender comes from Frank Moore Colby – I have found some of the best reasons I ever had for remaining at the bottom simply by looking at the men at the top.