Tag: Governing Body

Criticisms Towards the Council

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Observers are noting increased Criticisms

 

budget

Note: This does not include reaction to the Air Quality debate as any resentment should be directed at Government where the order came from – not Council who are simply complying with central legislation

It was brought up in conversation over the Long Term Plan that criticisms and resentment towards the Council seems to be more naked, concentrated, and getting rather well-informed than the usual junk you can see often being flung. What makes the criticism more concentrated and naked is that once residents understand how the rating system works they hone their criticisms rather sharply back at the Council. So is such criticism warranted towards the Governing Body or is the City over reacting to the large and wider situation at play.

My own reaction (in-lieu of the discussion) was:

The City is openly critical for three reasons

  1. City Building – not seeing it unless you are in the City Centre or a community getting cut backs (85% of Auckland)
  2. People just want to be left alone, live, work play in a decent city without being rated to hell in back
  3. And the Council (that includes Auckland Transport, and Auckland Council Property Limited) perceived to be well, tone-deaf

 

What is fuelling the criticisms along is the 21 Local Boards send a sharp letter to the Mayor as we can see here: Local Boards Fire Shot Over Mayor’s Bow

If you are looking for a Councillor’s sharp criticism – with me replying back twice then I leave you this from Councillor Chris Fletcher:

Endless meetings and workshops are being held in a desperate attempt to reconcile the Mayor’s 10 year budget with Auckland’s community aspirations. The public were sold a pup during the unitary plan process. It did not duly consider the cost of meeting infrastructure investment with population growth. Furthermore planners were working on a different set of data from infrastructure providers. Now in desperation we are trying to ration sparse resources to ensure we can meet our responsibilities. This has translated into an unacceptable proposal to cut parks and sports investment by nearly 40% over the next 10 years. All of this could have been avoided if there had been leadership in managing the statutory processes bringing policy and funding together in the Auckland Plan, LTP and Unitary Plan.

  • Ben Ross Yes and No Councillor Fletcher. The Central Government can ware some of the blame through the statutory time frame set to the Unitary Plan as well as being too hands off unlike their New South Wales, Victorian, and Queensland counterparts as seen here: https://voakl.net/…/queensland-gets-it-right-auckland…/As for Council well I have seen the Mayor’s 10 Spatial Priorities being floated around. If funding is so limited then wouldn’t be wise to focus on those 10 Spatial Priorities. After five years we move onto another ten and so on and so on.

    Alternative sources of funding have been pointed out to the Council to supplement the rates stream also seen here:https://voakl.net/2014/10/21/questions-around-land-sales/ (you were absent Councillor – I believe at the late Mark Ford’s funeral?) More can be seen here:https://voakl.net/…/the-reaction-to-my-presentation-to…/

    The alternatives and way forward is all there for the Governing Body, whether the Governing Body advances into the 21st Century in thinking, planning and having to go outside the box is yet to be seen

    • Christine Fletcher It is totally irresponsible to commit to new developments knowing we are unable to care for our existing infrastructure with renewals etc. Council should have staged the unitary plan, carefully rolling it out in an orderly and financially sustainable manner with social and physical infrastructure in place. I am absolutely sure government would have supported this process if the issue had been properly presented to them.
    • Ben Ross I would safely the say the Government knows very full well what is going on otherwise the Environment Minister would not be approving SHA’s in North West Auckland (If Adams and now Smith were doing their jobs properly that is).

      Furthermore on that assumption the Government has no appetite to stage any part of the Unitary Plan otherwise the 2016 deadline would have been kicked to say 2018. Procedural Minute 10 from the Hearings Panel also gives weight to that the MofEnviron is again aware but choosing not to intervene in any great measure.      The Ministry for the Environment is about to use a senior analyst to review the Unitary Plan Hearings Processes thus far. What the review will find and whether the Government will intervene from that is yet to be seen.

      All said if the Minister and Ministry have no idea what is really going on since the Unitary Plan went out for notification then what the heck was in their submission and what are they honestly doing that does not involve blinkers.

      Impetus now lays with the Minister

 

Seems Central Government might be partly to blame for where we are if we take both the Unitary Plan and Long Term Plan in account.

 

So are the critiques too harsh, too soft, or about right as we come to the 2015-2025 Long Term Plan – the Council’s master budget document?

 

New By-Laws Coming into Effect

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Aucklanders helped shape new By-Laws

 

From Auckland Council

Aucklanders help shape new bylaws

 

Community feedback has played a major part in the final content of two new regional bylaws adopted by Auckland Council’s Governing Body today.

In adopting the final Navigation Safety and Cemeteries and Crematoria bylaws, Regulatory and Bylaws Committee Chairman Calum Penrose says both are excellent examples of how the consultation and hearing process can have a positive outcome for the community and council.

“With both bylaws we came up with a series of proposals aimed at managing a particular issue – such as public concerns over the number of drownings involving people not wearing lifejackets – and how to protect public health and safety in both situations.

“By the community getting involved in these decisions through the submission process, we could see that in some cases we didn’t quite get it right.  So we listened, we considered and we made changes that the council and the public can work with – it’s been a great outcome.

“I think with navigation safety in particular it has transferred the responsibility for keeping people safe back to the skipper,” he says.

Also at today’s meeting, councillors agreed the proposed Animal Management and Alcohol Control bylaws and that an amendment to council’s Health and Hygiene Bylaw are ready to be released for public consultation.

Auckland Council inherited 158 bylaws from Auckland’s former legacy councils and, under the Local Government Act, is required to review all of these by October 2015.  The council has now implemented 12 of 30 region-wide bylaws, all of which introduce a fairer and more consistent experience for our customers, no matter where in Auckland they live or own a business.

Reports included on all these bylaws are in the Governing Body agenda, available on the council’s website. 

 

Information on the new and proposed bylaws below:

 

Navigation Safety Bylaw

 

Will replace the current Auckland Regional Council Navigation Safety Bylaw 2008 and includes new regulations as follows:

  • Everyone on a vessel of six metres in length or less will have to wear a lifejacket at all times unless the skipper says it can be removed.   This is a change of the original proposal which did not include skippers’ discretion
  • That on board every boat there must be some form of communication to enable persons on board to contact the shore if they get in to difficulty.   Changes from proposal requiring carrying of a communication device such as a phone or radio.
  • That people in charge of a vessel should not be intoxicated by drugs or alcohol.

The new bylaw will come in to effect at Labour Weekend and council is developing an awareness and education programme to ensure people are aware of the new regulations and their responsibilities.   It will also write to the Minister of Transport to review the Maritime Transport Act to allow the council to issue infringements for breaches of the new regulations.

 

Cemeteries and Crematoria Bylaw and Code of Practice

 

This bylaw and code of practice will replace eight bylaws inherited from former councils and replace with a single approach to managing facilities across the region.  It will come in to effect from 1 November 2014.

Changes made as a result of consultation including added a series of explanatory notes to the code to provide clarity.

Other changes include

  • Giving cemetery managers discretion on how many people can be in the immediate area during a cremation
  • Continuing to support family and friends’ desire to be able to fill their loved ones’ grave, but ask that they give cemetery staff notice so that provisions can be made, including having equipment available
  • That floral tributes and adornments on graves will be moved to the concrete berm to allow grave maintenance to be carried out

Changes were also made to clarify that approval is not required for the scattering of ashes in public places but that information will be provided about this activity in sensitive areas such as playgrounds and sportsfields.

 

Proposed bylaws being consulted on from later this month: 

Animal Management

 

Will replace 18 bylaws relating to the management of animals with a single region-wide approach to minimise nuisance and risks to public health and safety.

Includes proposals relating to the keeping of stock (including chickens) and bees and  in urban areas and on public places and horse riding in public places.

 

Alcohol Control Bylaw

 

Will establish a process for the review of the region’s alcohol control areas (liquor bans).  Also proposes that local boards are given delegation to make review the those bans located in their areas.

New legislation requires that all alcohol control areas must be based on evidence of crime and alcohol related harm before a control can be put in place.

 

Amendment to the Auckland Council Health and Hygiene Bylaw

 

We propose amending the bylaw to exempt pharmacies from needing a licence to carry out ear piercings as they are already licenced under the Medicines Act 1981 and undergo regular audits by the Ministry of Health.

The bylaw requires health premises piercing the skin (including commercial ear piercing) to get a licence from council.

 

—-ends—-

 

Auckland Council Correcting a Resolutions Error

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Whoops – bit too quick off the mark there

 

From Auckland Council

Auckland Council correcting minor issue on rates resolution – no change to rates bills

 

 

Auckland Council is correcting a minor technical issue in the setting of this year’s rates.

 

At the 26 June Governing Body meeting, the Council voted to set its rates immediately prior to adopting the Annual Plan, rather than immediately after as required by the Local Government (Rating) Act 2002.

 

To remove any potential ambiguity created by this issue, Auckland Council’s Governing Body will be asked to repeat its 2014-15 rates resolutions as part of its ordinary meeting on 14 August.

 

The resolution will not change rates as set on 26 June, and there will be no change to what appears on people’s rates bills.

 

A Council spokesperson said:

 

“Unfortunately the ordering of the agenda was not strictly in line with what is required by the Act. This resolution will remove any potential ambiguity this may have created. It will have no impact on the rates that were set by Council.”

 

Auckland Council will publish a notice in the New Zealand Herald tomorrow, pursuant to section 119 of the Local Government (Rating) Act 2002.

—ends—

 

Annual Plan 2014/2015 Passes

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We have a budget

 

The Budget Committee after hours of debate has passed the Annual Plan 2014/2015 on a vote of 17-4. The Governing Body ratified this around 5 minutes ago.

 

Full commentary tomorrow

Budget Committee

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Live Tweeting

 

I am at Town Hall where the Budget Committee will be deliberating and passing the Annual Plan 2014/2015 for Governing Body approval.

Live tweeting at @BenRoss_AKL will be happening as we move through the proceedings.

 

Full report will be up on the blog tomorrow morning.

 

Live Beaming of Council Meetings Going Out for Tender

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Able to see some of the Council meetings on the Internet – live – again

 

After the Council last year switched off the high-speed wireless that would disable the video service All About Auckland being able to stream Council meetings live, Auckland Council has finally put out a tender to resume live streaming. From Stuff.co.nz:

Auckland Council to beam live 

LAURA WALTERS Last updated 13:55 23/04/2014

The Auckland Council plans to run a live webcast of 57 of its council meetings each year in a bid to increase transparency and raise awareness of the decision-making process.

The council has called for expressions of interest from people who could provide services needed for a live webcast of meetings.

In its information document, the council said it planned to provide a live webcast to make the political process more transparent, increase awareness of the decision-making process, reduce reliance on the media and recognise the increased size and impact of the council in New Zealand and the accompanying need to perform at a world-class level.

The webcasts would initially cover meetings of the mayor and 20 councillors and meetings of four committees.

The committees are the Auckland development committee, the finance and performance committee, the budget committee and the regional strategy and policy committee.

The average duration of each meeting was four hours, the council said.

Council spokesman Glyn Walters said the council had been planning to offer the webcasts since the council was set up in 2010.

…….

So the five meetings this live streaming is meant to cover are:

  1. The Governing Body (so the main Council itself) chaired by the Mayor
  2. The Budget Committee also chaired by the Mayor
  3. The Auckland Development Committee chaired by Deputy Mayor Penny Hulse
  4. The Strategy and Policy Committee chaired by Councillor George Wood
  5. The Finance and Performance Committee chaired by Councillor Penny Webster

 

The sub committees and forums that report back to the main committees above will not be beamed live on the Internet.

 

It will be good to have the live beaming restored after All About Auckland’s live streaming was dropped last year when the Council turned off the high-speed wireless inside the main Council Chambers. Yes the live beaming does allow more people across Auckland to watch and witness both the Governing Body, and the Committees of the Whole in action. The restoring of live beaming also allows people like myself to run live Tweeting and live Blogging when we are not able to make the Committees ourselves for whatever reason. And yes live Tweeting from the Governing Body and the Committees is (as I discovered) quite a popular service for people who either can not watch the video or be at the Council meeting.

I did notice this one liner from the Stuff article: “the council said it planned to provide a live webcast to make the political process more transparent, increase awareness of the decision-making process, reduce reliance on the media and recognise the increased size and impact of the council in New Zealand.”

Reduce the reliance on the media. Hmm the media are typically only at the Governing Body meetings and periodically maybe at the Budget Committee meetings. Otherwise it is just usually me and veteran reporter Bob Dey casting a very lonely presence at the media table while the Budget Committee, and Auckland Development Committee (both the most important committees after the Governing Body itself) meet and deliberate (with Bob also usually at the Strategy and Policy, and Finance and Performance Committees). So I do wonder if Council is having a go at a particular journalist or in a roundabout way trying to increase the visibility of the Committees.

None-the-less I doubt the Main Stream Media outlets will increase their reporting from Council even when the live beaming resumes. So it will be back down to the blogs and other social media outlets to help continuing to spread the word and provide commentary that would otherwise be absent.

 

Suppose we will have to wait and see how the tendering of this new beaming (streaming) service will go and whether the live streaming will be free.

 

Main Council to Review CCOs

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Council Controlled Organisations to be reviewed

 

As Mayor Len Brown said in the elections last year, the Council Controlled Organisations (the CCO’s) were to be reviewed by the main Council. The CCO’s include (but not limited to):

  • Auckland Transport
  • Watercare
  • Auckland Council Investment Limited
  • Auckland Council Property Limited
  • Waterfront Auckland
  • ATEED

From Auckland Council on the review:

Council to review super-city organisations

24/02/2014

Auckland councillors will be asked to approve the draft terms of reference and timeline for a wide-ranging review of Council-Controlled Organisations (CCOs) at the next Governing Body meeting on 27 February, says Mayor Len Brown. The draft terms of reference can be found here (item 12, page 9).

Len Brown said: “Our CCOs deliver a huge range of services for Aucklanders, from water management, to major events, through to the big improvements we’re making in public transport. We need to ensure that as ratepayer owned and funded organisations, they are as lean and efficient as possible, with no waste and no duplication of effort.”

A key election pledge from Len Brown, the CCO review will aim to ensure Aucklanders are getting value for money from the seven council controlled organisations set up during amalgamation, and that they are fully accountable to ratepayers and elected representatives.

Deputy Mayor Penny Hulse, Chair of the CCO Governance and Monitoring Committee said:

“Having had three years to work with the CCOs, we are at an ideal point to assess how well CCOs are performing on behalf of our communities, and to look at potential changes where they are needed across council. The review will assess what worked well in the first term and what we could do better going forward.
 
“It is very important that while the review is going on we continue to work with our CCOs to deliver for Auckland.”

Councillors, local board members, CCOs and the Independent Maori Statutory Board have all been given an opportunity to provide feedback on the review’s draft terms of reference. These groups have also contributed to the development of two CCO current state assessment reports that councillors will receive ahead of the Governing Body meeting.

The seven CCOs are Auckland Tourism Events Economic Development (ATEED), Auckland Transport (AT), Watercare, Auckland Council Investments Limited (ACIL), Auckland Council Property Limited (ACPL), Waterfront Auckland, and Regional Facilities Auckland (RFA).

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http://www.aucklandcouncil.govt.nz/EN/newseventsculture/OurAuckland/mediareleases/Pages/CouncilToReviewSuper-CityOrganisations.aspx

 

The Governing Body Agenda which outlines the Terms of Reference for the CCO Review (and the Governing Body’s submission to the Unitary Plan)

 

Another post will be drawn up on the Council’s Unitary Plan Submission