Council delays decision on $7.7m upgrade

‘‘Councillors are very aware that something has to be done but we are also very aware that we want to bring rates to an affordable level.’’

A $7.7 million building upgrade has been delayed while Porirua City Council looks for ways to live within its means.

The multi-million-dollar project planned to add 360sqm to the council’s 50-year-old central city building that currently houses 176 staff.

At a meeting on Wednesday, the council was asked to approve plans that would see design and tendering begin immediately but asked for more time and options.

Councillor Ross Leggett called for ‘‘other options to be considered that best reflect living within our means’’ and asked the decision be delayed until November 22.

On Thursday, he said that although the options were reasonable, the councillors wanted to see if they could do better.

‘‘Councillors are very aware that something has to be done but we are also very aware that we want to bring rates to an affordable level.’’

He hoped a decision would be made next month.

The upgrade, named Project Rejig, is the result of a recent report exploring five options to replace or refurbish the building.

With options ranging from a $16.5m new building to a $2.6m ‘‘environment comfort’’ refurbishment, the report recommended the $7.7m spend.

It found some parts of the building were overcrowded with 176 staff working in an adequate space for 155 and another 25 workers in rented accommodation off-site at a cost of $160,000 a year.

New carpet, furniture and lighting are on the list, as well as a renovation of the building’s toilets and heating, ventilation and cooling system. Mayor Mike Tana said the impact on ratepayers would be ‘‘minimal’’ with money from unallocated projects and the sale of a council building paying for most of the project.

‘‘When we’re talking $7.7m, there’s already $5m there and there are off-sets if we bring everyone into that building.’’

He agreed money needed to be spent on the building to bring it up to a safe standard for staff.

‘‘The problem with a lot of councils is they defer a lot of stuff because they want to look good but I have to bite the bullet on this.’’

The council consulted on the project as part of the 2017/2018 plan and, of the 57 people who submitted on the building project, 31 supported an upgrade and 26 did not.