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

Staff have advised elected members that there will likely be another rates surplus this financial year.

At the Projects and Monitoring Committee, accounts were presented to the end of March which indicate that subject to unforeseen financial events about a $1 million surplus could be expected at financial year's end – June 30. Sound financial management is the key to this happy news – tight treasury administration of cash flows and lower than expected interest rates. But, some of the surplus generated by this and other savings (such as $1.1 million employee costs), have been offset by other events like soaring insurance premiums.

Priorities to consider
Council has also embarked on a lower capital expenditure programme which means less loans, however, elected members will need to reconsider priorities in light of repeated flooding occurring around town. For instance, a thumbnail guestimate to remedy flash flooding at Warrington St, Matua is about $5.5 million. Around the corner by Smiths Rd/Eaton Cres will likely be more. These and others will be the subject of consideration of internal staff submissions to the annual plan which will be considered in a couple of weeks.
Further to the item concerning donations of contributions to our city by civic-minded individuals and companies, we heard another interesting presentation from the Department of Corrections. Currently there are some 417 people performing community work as part of their sentences from the courts. Key to this work, so we were told, is that it be meaningful and that council, community and ratepayers benefit from this through labour-intensive development work around parks. It's work that otherwise wouldn't get done. Council treads a fine line to ensure that work that is done doesn't cross the line of removing paid work from the market place.
We then heard a presentation proposing a charitable trust to build a 'Mauao Cultural Centre” on the old I-site location on Coronation Park. It has come out of the blue and their request is that council and ratepayers provide the site. The idea is that it would predominantly cater to the cruise ship market. I asked if they had considered what would happen if the cruise ships stopped coming. They said they would be in trouble. Council will consider the proposal but from where I sit there are many and big hurdles to overcome, before it sees the light of day.

Concerned residents presented a petition against the use of toxic spray Escort in the sand dunes bordering beach access on Oceanbeach Rd. It seems that a contractor got it wrong and council staff acknowledged this – application of this toxic spray ceased immediately and has not been used since. This occurrence highlights that you can have all the rules in the world but you can't overcome the 'human factor”. These sprays are dangerous in my view but it's also true that council can't maintain the tidy state of the city without them. We have a voluntary group – the Toxic Awareness Advisory Forum – who do excellent work advising staff on the what, where, how and why sprays should be used. Alert residents did good in bringing this to our attention.

Playtime
Another 'turning of the sod” ceremony took place on the waterfront this week. No, not an elected member this time – but the start of a playground adjacent to the defunct bubble jet fountain on the northern car park reclamation downtown.
The playground will come from Germany so staff told us, because it's higher quality and better value than anything else available. By the way, the bubble jet fountain will be reinstated. Apparently, it got flooded and that's how it was ruined. Now there's a surprise isn't it? A fountain getting flooded. No doubt there's a reason but from memory it cost about $400,000 and being near water as well as pumping it you might expect it to be waterproof.
Other items from the meeting were how well Tauranga residents did with low water usage over the hot dry summer. Something below 450 litre per day per house was excellent. It used to be more than 700 litre per day pre-water meters. I said that no doubt the media would trumpet the now proven positive effectiveness of water meters in the headlines (now that's a Tui ad). The positive being that Tauranga was one of the few cities not to have any water use restrictions over the summer.

Ancestors triumphed
There were more great turnouts on Anzac Day. Council and ratepayers fund the civic ceremony down at Memorial Park. It's a poignant time to reflect on how we get to enjoy our magnificent city and lifestyle, and remember those who made it possible. The options weren't flash and those people grasped the mettle and thankfully triumphed.
On another front, pun intended, plans are underway to recognise the 150th anniversary of the Battle of Gate Pa. It's a great story, laced with all the intrigue of British Colonial policy that rolled around the world in those days. A small Maori group of around 230 womped the pride of the British Army – 1700 heavily armed troops at Gate Pa on April 29, 1864. The British exacted a terrible revenge at Te Ranga a few months later and the consequences of this reverberate to this day.

After 10 years, Smartgrowth's function and purpose is being reviewed. The draft strategy is out for consultation now. We should all look at it as it has the potential to affect everyone. Sadly this is unlikely – the majority seem to find the regional council and Smartgrowth all too hard. It does have the advantage of getting all three councils in the same tent and able to work together. Apparently, this is a rare event around the country so we are told by central Government sources.

This week's mindbender from Eleanor Roosevelt –
'Courage is more exhilarating than fear and in the long run it is easier.”