Council started a long round of public submissions to be heard over the next six months this week.
Elected members listened to submitters over proposed parking and traffic management charges at the Mount, downtown Tauranga and Greerton.

In summary, these proposals revolved around angle parking and one way traffic systems and possible purchase of more parking land. This latter proposal was to purchase five houses at Greerton behind the Greerton Hall. One submitter was distressed that he hadn't been alerted to this proposal prior to public notification and the first he knew about it was when he read about it along with everyone else. I thought council had got past this sort of carry on, but it seems that nothing is learned from lessons of history. In my opinion, this carry on is quite unacceptable – imagine reading in the paper that your home is now part of someone else's grand plan. It's happened to me and I can tell you it creates all manner of problems, complications and cost none of which were of my making. Elected members expected that residents would have been informed prior to publication. However, as soon as we found out – the same day – Mayor Stuart Crosby visited the submitter at home, apologised and undertook to buy the property at a fair market valuation if that was appropriate. This is arrived at by both parties getting valuations and negotiating. It is a fair process, light years from the property grabs of yesteryear under the old Public Works Act, and no selling fees.

Mount parking woes
The main thrust of other submitters was around the problems at the Mount over the holiday period. One Mount submitter thought that council should provide extra parking for his staff, free of charge. Many wanted the parking charge on Phoenix Carpark in downtown Mount dropped.
Mount Mainstreet submitted that the holiday traffic chaos was ‘happy congestion' and that no more parking was needed in the foreseeable future. The submitter split was about 66 per cent in favour of a one way system along the Mall and angle parking. Several submitters wanted reversing into angle parks. This is not legal in New Zealand although it is overseas. To do this, the angle of the parks needs to be altered. At present you drive into parks frontwards, but to reverse in you need to come at it from the other side because you have to drive past. Advantage is driver visibility as you leave the park.
Boat trailer parking at Pilot Bay ramp continues to attract comment. Resident parking permit system got comment, but it's an administrative nightmare subject to possible abuse. Concrete rings housing palm trees downtown Mount drew comment. Others thought that the Mount is ‘chokka' now so don't encourage more traffic and just leave it alone as it's fine 90 per cent of the time. Maybe council could erect ‘Sorry Full' signs – just kidding.
Elected members will deliberate next week on this – should be an interesting debate.

Church reserve
At full council we had a long agenda. On a vote of 6-5 council moved to expand the Welcome Bay Hall and remove the Baptist Church from the Waitaha Reserve in the next few years. This is the only church on a reserve in the city, but on the other hand, the church amenities were being used as community amenities, hence the split vote.
In my opinion (I supported retention of the amenity) council is leaving itself wide open to having to provide a replacement with no budget in the present Ten Year Plan. Arataki Community Centre is costing $3 million plus large operating expense as a rough guide.

Gallery watch
Tauranga Art Gallery proposed a new statement of intent for council consideration. There is definitely a new realistic attitude emanating from the gallery's board and full credit to a new mind shift. Unfortunately it doesn't include a move to admission charges.
Their projected budget for the next three years is for around $400,000 deficit in total. They have agreed to hold ratepayers subsidy at $847,400 for each of the next three years. Chairman Graeme Horsley agreed that deficit budgeting was not good business practice, but resisted my suggestion that a $3 charge would bring about a neutral budget. Catherine Stewart asked the effect of a $42,000 annual reduction in ratepayer subsidy. Mr Horsley told her the gallery would go bankrupt. Hayden Evans asked why there was resistance to an admission charge and Mr Horsley said it would stop people visiting. Hayden said if it went bankrupt people wouldn't be able to visit either. Mr Horsley told council the gallery was working hard on alternative funding options and was hopeful of turning things around. They do have around $400,000 in cash.
In my opinion, accepting a deficit budget is not good business practice and by accepting this there is tacit implication of a possible future ratepayer bailout if things don't work out.
Accordingly I was unable to support council accepting the statement of intent.
Yet more notices of motion from Rick Curach. First one up, Rick wanted all District Plan deliberations to be held in open. Staff wisely got a legal opinion which outlined dangers to exposing council/ratepayers if council did. Cost around $5000 for the legal opinion.
On a majority vote this got kicked to touch. Likewise his second one. He wanted all material tabled at meetings available online. Staff estimated a cost of $10,000 and estimated usage by about 12 people.
This was lost on a casting vote. Council Treasury presented charts showing interest rates are on the way up and this could affect our $400 million debt envelope. And Vale Street West Reserve is now Waiaka Reserve.