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

This week elected members listened to submissions from submitters to Council's proposed (draft) annual plan.

As noted previously numbers of submissions are down to 133 and 566 pages of which 51 were signatures to a petition. A long way from 2500 pages and more than 1000 submissions in the heady days of wants, needs and deserves not that long ago.

As was predicted by some of us (a minority unfortunately) the financial chickens have come home to roost but at least, and at last, the spending excess has now been reined in. There's a very fine line between maintaining levels of services, controlling rates, keeping the city ticking over as the majority of you want and coping with unplanned events – like the recent round of flooding across the city. It's not only flooding in Matua and the Mount industrial area that, in my view, just can't be left anymore. A submitter told us of 23 out of 58 residences flooding in Commons Ave at Downtown Mount. Council has to move on this repeated flooding problem. With caveats! It has to be well planned. It must be cost effective. I won't second guess how the extra projects will be funded but re-prioritisation of existing Council capital and rate expenditure must rank up there. And of course it isn't possible to cope with all eventualities. If it rains hard enough no stormwater system will cope.

Ohauiti Reserve
Other submissions were about the Ohauiti Reserve and bringing it forward in the timetable. Wayne Moultrie told the submitter that numbers were what counted in his opinion. Filling the chamber with people in support doesn't sway all elected members!
Police supported an application for $20,000 towards funding the Safe City Co-ordinator. If my memory serves me correctly this was originally a Central Government funded programme. Last year they cut back on funding, so, enter council/ratepayers. A not too subtle ploy often used by Government. Get the project going then abandon it to ratepayers. This is not to detract from the worth of any project but the question is – is it Council core business? The Government has the impertinence to tell Councils to better control their expenditure. This is one tiny example but it all adds up.

Another submission seeking $22,500 to fund the co-ordinator of a group organising housing on multiple owned Maori land. They do actually build houses and are planning 252 houses over seven years. TCC declined the application last year due to budget restraint. Again we have to consider, per Government's advice, as to whether this is core business for Council/ratepayers.

A breath of fresh air from Papamoa Tennis Club who want permission to plant some tall windbreak trees – and offered to help pay for them. We were off on a roll now and Sport BOP were very enthusiastic and grateful for the relationship and funding they have with Council. We heard from a number of sports lavish in their praise for Council ratepayer facilities. In fact a number of elected members commented how rare it was to hear this good news at annual plan time.
The newly named ASB Arena at Baypark is a stunning success we were told. People come from near and far and it is attracting many visitors to our city. Which was part of the original plan to boost local business. Hockey told us of the huge success of their new hockey turf – also bringing people to town, and cricket told us of their new amenity at

Blake Park.
A new pavilion is being built and when finished this will be a leading attraction in the cricket world. They are funding a lot of this themselves but are seeking $35,000 from Council/ratepayers for a second wicket.

Four weeks in
New CEO Garry Poole has announced his new management team. He's now into his fourth week! These appointments are solely Garry's domain (and responsibility). In fact at time of writing elected members had not met the new people. Jaine Lovell-Gadd will head organisational services – this is finance, accounting and associated work. Jaine is ex various Auckland Councils and starts June 17. Ian Gooden, from Waikato, heads Infrastructure Services and has started already. This is engineering and associated services like water. Louise Miller will head Community and Environmental Services – planning and the like. She is coming from the UK and starts August 12. Frank Begley has been confirmed as communications manager and Christine Jones as general manager of strategy.
It's been a while coming but this reorganisation is in response to this Council's stated determination at the beginning of its three year term to ensure the organisation was fit for purpose in the prevailing economic climate.
It is imperative that the goals are achieved, quickly, so that ratepayers' financial positions are consolidated to fall within, or to be less than future rating requirement predictions. Certainly that's what this Council aims to set in stone – unexpected occurrences excepted of course.
Ex councillor Mary Dillon made a number of submissions. In one she said that the tree sub-committee was a disgrace and asked it 'be urgently disbanded”. Murray Guy who is on the subcommittee made the point that this subcommittee purpose was to allow the democratic process to flow for people affected by Council's tree policy.
Subcommittee members were advised by qualified staff on tree technical matters. Mary rejected his points and Mayor Stuart Crosby intervened with the score at one all. The third round would have been interesting. Elected members were 'buttered” up by Friends of the Library 'for exceeding their expectations” by approving the Greerton Library. They bought in muffins for morning tea. Yes, yes, I know it's bribery and corruption at a high level but it was after the decision was taken. Elected members did enjoy them and no doubt will make the appropriate declarations of their individual statutory declaration forms.

Sniffing controversy
I'll cover more submissions next week. The daily media only turned up for those submissions seemingly where they sniffed potential controversy and blood on the carpet. Largely they would have been disappointed. They missed many submissions from people supporting Council actions and initiatives. This round of consultation produced the most positive feedback to date – but there is firm direction needed in some areas. With the new organisation we should be well placed to respond quickly.

This week's mindbender – relevant to the consultation process, from Abraham Lincoln: 'Public sentiment is everything – with public sentiment nothing can fail, without it nothing can succeed.”