Whaleoil on “dodgy ratbag local body politicians” —just like ours at DCC

### whaleoil.co.nz Fri, 31 Oct 2014 at 5:20pm
Why is there no law to rein in dodgy ratbag local body politicians?
By Cameron Slater
Former ARC Councillor Bill Burrill is not the first dodgy ratbag Councillor to trough from abuses of power to his own pecuniary advantage in recent years. A few years back in 2009 Council Watch was calling for a number of Councillors from the Canterbury Regional Council to be prosecuted and sacked from their positions after an investigation by the Auditor General Lyn Provost found that four individuals had broken the law by acting in conflict with their official role. Back then those Canterbury Councillors failed to declare a conflict on interest that [led] to a financial benefit for themselves by participating in discussion and voting on proposals before Council. Under investigation the Auditor General’s office chose not to prosecute stating that whilst the Councillors should have withdrawn as a matter of principle – they had each received and shared legal advice that they could participate. And here in lies the problem. The Auditor General and Office of the Ombudsmen publish clear guidelines for Councillors and council staff but the reality is that the law is erroneously filled with holes that are exploited and there is precious little oversight of Local Government leading to the Auditor General loathing to bother and the Courts uninterested.
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Posted by Elizabeth Kerr

DCC Water and Waste Services

Mr Mackie said maintaining the required level of expertise in-house would have been unaffordable.

### ODT Online Fri, 30 Dec 2011
DCC racks up $4m consultants’ bill
By Chris Morris
The Dunedin City Council has accumulated a $4 million bill for consultants working on the Three Waters strategy, but council water and waste services manager John Mackie says it is money well spent. Mr Mackie told the Otago Daily Times the bulk of the $4 million spending between 2008 and June 30 this year had gone to four companies – Opus, URS, Beca and United Kingdom-based Wallingford Software.
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Posted by Elizabeth Kerr

Stadium effects on vital infrastructural works?

The ‘favoured’ stadium project loads the council with debt and hampers divisional spending??

### ODT Online Sat, 17 Oct 2009
DCC staff warn against cutting water projects
By Chris Morris

Dunedin City Council staff have warned councillors against abandoning water infrastructure projects in an attempt to save money, as contamination of the city’s beaches again hits the headlines.
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### ODT Online Sat, 17 Oct 2009
Editorial: Clean it up

It is a health hazard and it pollutes the harbour. Yet nothing has been done about the sewage problem at Blanket Bay and Curles Point on Dunedin’s West Harbour for several years. The Dunedin City Council has been in denial, despite complaints and submissions.
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Post by Elizabeth Kerr