Strings loosened on Taihape board
Moves are afoot to try to make Taihape’s community board more meaningful to the lives of the locals.
A cynic might suggest that the board amounts to little more than an extension of the Marton-based Rangitıkei District Council, when once Taihape has its own borough council before the 1989 Elwood reforms to local government throughout the country which created the district council.
The council holds the pursestrings and at the board’s December meeting, of the seven members present, three were councillors, Richard Aslett, Ruth Rainey and Angus Gordon.
But now the council has decided to loosen its grip on some of the money it budgets to be spent on local projects.
Called community initiative grants, there is $7200 available for Taihape this year - with the board having the final say in how much should be spent on what, rather than the council, as has been the case in the past.
Council group manager for community and regulatory services Michael Hodder said applications for a slice of the pie would still go the council first to be checked, but would be on-sent to the board.
People could also also talk to what they wanted before a decision was made.
In other words the administration would remain with the council, but the decision-making would be with the board.
Hodder said the board was consulted about the change and liked it so the council agreed to trial it for a year.
‘‘Several councillors thought the board could do more, so the question arose as to what could they do that was useful in their community.
The change, it was hoped, would bring about a stronger dialogue between the board and the council, raise the board’s profile and perhaps even encourage more locals to seek a seat on the board at election time.
Coincidentally, this year the council has to do a representation review--something that occurs every six years - when it is required to look at how boards are working, whether it should have more or fewer of them, or none.
There are also four community committees in Rangitıkei, which unlike the boards are totally council creations.
Basically, said Hodder, boards were advocates to the council for their local area.