Dunedin City Council (creak, groan), still holds to notions of silly spend-ups —on Minor yet Very Costly items of…. faint if any benefit to the widest scope of Dunedin ratepayers and residents. It’s ELECTION YEAR. Overtly muddled thinking given to ‘pet projects’ and ‘bribes’ (vote chasing) is sorry Self-aggrandising Rubbish on the part of the local body politicians we’re stuck with until this October.
Some people can make a success of themselves living in Dunedin, some in the innovation sector are uniquely placed with developing capacity to export out; but these shining lights and bushells are frequently seen against a Dumb, overly Bureaucratic, In-fighting city council located within a generally stale and stalled non-productive urban economy. Dunedin is achieving only about half the growth of the rest of New Zealand.
This week, Councillors are deliberating to ‘stiff’ ratepayers and residents with the promoted…. steeply unattractive rates increase (supposedly) capped at 3%.
But shifting sands again at Council (what it’s only good for, in a bad way!) —the most inexperienced/unproductive/unbusinesslike gormless Councillors of green persuasion, together with the mayoral candidates and their aspiring pearl- or scarf-wearing deputies are in the Ugly mood to consider yet more unprincipled spending to take us beyond the 3% cap, if MSM news reporting of tendency is acurate (I’m sure it is).
Council staff are not emerging cleanly from this leaky-budget process either —since elected representatives tend to piggyback if they can, staff-driven shiny pet projects even when within very close sniffing distance of the highly questionable event of systemic DCC failure with core infrastructure services, monstrously demonstrated in June 2015.
The lack of brain power to analyse and offer principled leadership of the City of Dunedin is daily astounding. Not something practically-minded, fiscally prudent citizens should tolerate or support any longer.
If Shadbolt wants to come here as Mayor, by all means Jump In.
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2.9% rates increase council consulted on now pushing to 3.5% – breaching council’s self-imposed limit of 3% – unless cuts made.
MacTavish sees rates increase at slightly higher than 3%, as squeezing staff resources becomes “detrimental” to the community.
### ODT Online Wed, 11 May 2016
Rates limit agreed – for now
By Vaughan Elder and Timothy Brown
A rates increase of more than 3% remains a possibility, despite Dunedin City councillors agreeing to stick within the council’s self-imposed limit. Councillors were faced with difficult decisions at yesterday’s annual plan deliberations after agreeing to pay for almost $700,000 worth of extra costs in the 2016-17 annual plan.
Read more
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Spending $10million on stormwater infrastructure in the next year would not be possible.
“If you were talking about $10million phased in over the next five years, then that’s a much more reasonable proposition.” –WWS group manager
### ODT Online Wed, 11 May 2016
Upgrades would have to be phased in
By Vaughan Elder
Spending millions upgrading Dunedin’s stormwater infrastructure to better withstand floods would not be possible in the next year and increases would have to be ramped up over time, councillors were told. Council water and waste group manager Laura McElhone made the comment when asked by Cr Kate Wilson whether it would be possible, as an example, for her staff to manage spending an extra $10million in the next year.
Read more
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Other ODT stories:
User-pays scheme for carbon
Increased landfill costs arising from the Emissions Trading Scheme will be passed on to users contributing to carbon emissions.
Asbestos likely to be cost in future
Asbestos may impact the financial health of the Dunedin City Council’s coffers in years to come but the extent of the cost remains unknown, councillors heard at yesterday’s annual plan deliberations.
Link to harbour supported
Installing a ground-level crossing linking Dunedin’s central city with the harbourside is to be investigated by the Dunedin City Council.
Octagon solution allows relief for other areas
A succesful solution to toilet woes in Dunedin’s Octagon has freed up funds for toilets elsewhere in the city.
George St work delayed
Dunedin City councillors agreed to delay a multimillion-dollar central city improvement programme by a year, giving staff more time to get it right.
Councillors support gas works site plan
The Dunedin City Council is investigating buying three sites in South Dunedin to allow for the future expansion of the Dunedin Gasworks Museum and the possible development of a community hub.
█ Lastly. The item somewhere off the public radar this budget round:
Will Council stop the MULTIMILLION-DOLLAR SUBSIDY to Dunedin Venues ?
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Related Posts and Comments:
9.5.16 South Dunedin: Fixing Council attitudes and badly maintained…
6.5.16 South Dunedin Action Group: Notes of meeting with DCC (3 May 2016)
30.3.16 DCC: Snow White cause of substantial loss + DRAFT Annual Plan
23.2.16 Hold on! DCC Annual Plan 2016/17 #CommunityEngagement
30.1.16 DCC Rates: LOCAL CONTEXT not Stats —Delta and Hippopotamuses
█ For more enter the term *flood* in the search box at right.
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Posted by Elizabeth Kerr
What if? Dunedin... 