Category: Hot Discussion

An issue causing hot discussion either here in the blog or in the wider community

Auckland Development Committee – February 2014

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Agenda for February 2014

 

The agenda and attachments for the February Auckland Development Committee is now up for your reading pleasure. Taking a glance through it I see the Committee this month is dealing with the nitty-gritty business of Plan Changes across the City – including setting a scoping task for industrial land to be zoned west of State Highway 20 at Wiri (currently market gardens).

You can read the agenda (207 pages + attachments) below with the further attachments here: http://infocouncil.aucklandcouncil.govt.nz/Open/2014/02/AUC_20140213_ATT_4737_EXCLUDED_WEB.HTM

Agenda

 

At the same time the Committee will be ratifying the November Minutes which means the Manukau site visit becomes official “policy” of the Council. Meaning now we try to get a date set soon for the visit.

Those who have read my Civics series would know that the Auckland Development Committee is where I am usually found. Looking at the agenda the material does look incredibly boring I’ll give you that. But this kind of work with Plan Changes and scoping exercises is often the bread and butter stuff this Committee will be dealing with from time to time. Do they changes affect you? Yes they do as it could allow the development of an industrial site (jobs), residential centre, or even parks and conservation spaces.

 

Live commentary and Tweeting will be running from the Committee. And will Councillors answer their emails please…… 

 

Mayor Len Brown Settles

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$40,000 of $250,000 cost to be paid by the mayor.

 

Two releases on the Len Brown Saga today.

From Auckland Council itself:

Negotiated payment from Mayor towards cost of EY report
Following publication of the EY report last year, Auckland Council’s Governing Body agreed that a group of councillors comprising Deputy Mayor Penny Hulse, Christine Fletcher, George Wood, Dick Quax and Penny Webster would hold confidential discussions with the Mayor to agree a financial contribution from him towards the final cost of the report.

Speaking on behalf of the group of councillors, Christine Fletcher, Chair of the CEO Review Committee said today:

“Following discussions with the Mayor through Chief Executive Stephen Town, there has been a full and final agreement that he will make a contribution of $40,000 towards the final cost of the EY report. This is in addition to the Mayor meeting his own legal costs of $20,000.

“In the interests of open process and the public interest, we are releasing these numbers.”

Auckland Council Chief Executive Stephen Town confirmed the cost of the EY report and legal work was approximately $250,000.

—ends—

Source: http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/AK1402/S00157/negotiated-payment-from-mayor-towards-cost-of-ey-report.htm

 

And from the Office of the Mayor:

Mayoral media statement on EY report costs

Mayor Len Brown says:

“I have agreed to make this payment out of respect to my fellow Councillors and to acknowledge the upset this issue has caused. I continue to be totally focussed on the issues that matter to Aucklanders.” “I do not intend to make any further comment on this matter.”

—ends—

Source: http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/AK1402/S00158/mayoral-media-statement-on-ey-report-costs.htm

Well if nothing else it was a very short statement.

 

Rest I will leave over to you. If you do comment please remember The Rules for commenting.

 

Berms Issue Back

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And the Solution is oh so Simple!

 

Councillor Cameron Brewer made an off-hand remark to New Zealand Herald’s Bernard Orsman about how the special one-off Auckland International Airport Dividend of $101 million should be used to restore berm mowing to areas of the Isthmus that had it before the Super City came into existence.

From The Aucklander – Division of the NZ Herald

Council returns to mowing berms in Auckland

By Bernard Orsman  6:49 AM Monday Feb 3, 2014

Residents who can’t cut the grass, or refuse to, will get a trim but contractors can wait until it is 20cm high.

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Orakei councillor Cameron Brewer said he planned an amendment for the proper reinstatement of berm mowing, which could be funded from a special $101 million dividend from Auckland Airport, or internal savings.

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Source: http://www.nzherald.co.nz/aucklander/news/article.cfm?c_id=1503378&objectid=11195808

 

It is one of the few times condemnation from both the Centre Left and Right were rather swift against Councillor Brewer for mentioned that a dividend would be used for a OPEX rather than CAPEX line (Opex means Operational Budget for Day to Day running of the Council, CAPEX is your Capital Expenditure – that is investment into things like infrastructure).

That $101 million would be best set for infrastructure like say some cycle ways, the St Johns Station, maybe the Manukau South Rail Link and some grade separation of our dangerous rail crossings, perhaps some storm-water infrastructure or paying down some debt which actually is not a bad suggestion from Councillor George Wood.

But to pay for OPEX expenses like berms for a few on the Isthmus? I think not.

 

Look the solution is dead simple for the berm situation.

I recommend that the issue be sent to the Local Boards for their final decision. That is if the respective Local Board would like berm mowing for their residential areas then they would have the chance to:

  • Pass a targeted rate for the service as two Local Boards did for universal free-swimming pools (rather than the Auckland-wide policy of free for under-16’s)
  • Have the opportunity to tender the service out to either:
    • Auckland Council’s Park Services main contractor
    • Auckland Transport’s berm contractor
    • Local private sector contractor

If I was to say the Papakura Local Board and was going to charge a targeted rate for berm mowing for the area I would tender the service out to a local firm in the area (if possible). This means a local business with local area knowledge has the chance of providing a service to the community of Papakura and providing employment to the local area. More local employment means more spending and more investment in the area. I call that a Win-win-win-major win if this was able to occur.

So lets kick this issue of berm mowing to the goal line once and for all and hand it over to the Local Boards to decide rather than the main Governing Body.

As for the Isthmus and their berms I found this rather telling from a comment on Cameron Brewer’s public Facebook remark on the issue (note Cameron did not write this comment but a ratepayer of Auckland did):

We drove to the airport back in October and went through Gillies Ave and Manukau Rd. Those who had not mown their berms in the upmarket area should be ashamed of themselves. The neighbours would be really annoyed with them. As we drove through the not so affluent area all the berms were mowed nice and tidily (bar one that had construction activity in the adjacent section). I would be mowing the neighbour’s unmown berm myself because it affects your own place. And most of the houses bedside the umown berms had lovely tidy mown lawns.

 

And I can vouch for that the numerous times I have travelled through the Isthmus. That said the commenter and myself are not painting our affluent areas all with the same tar brush as there are some who do mow their berms and look after them. What was telling though was where however, most of the issues were coming from on the Isthmus. Also at the same time there are those on the Isthmus who have converted their berms to gardens of different varieties. This should be encouraged rather than punished as it does add spice and “colour” to Auckland.