Janine Rankin

This week more than 50 people want to come and talk to city councillors. reports.

At least once a year, there are more members of the public than councillors filing into the Palmerston North City Council chamber over the course of three days.

It is annual budget submissions hearing time, with up to 57 people having said they want to come and talk to councillors about spending that could influence how much the rates go up.

Nearly another 100 have made written submissions, either online or by email, handwritten or by phone, and have taken it on trust the councillors will read and absorb them.

The logistical exercise of fitting submitters to timetables and ensuring everyone has the props they need and knows what is going on falls to head of governance support Kyle Whitfield’s team.

‘‘For any sort of hearing, people can be quite nervous coming into a very formal setting.

‘‘Part of our role is to try to explain the process and what happens, and try to make it as relaxed as possible.’’

While another council team works through the submissions summarising issues and identifying themes, the practical details of making the hearings happen fall to Whitfield, a couple of committee administrators and an administrative secretary.

Their job is to make sure everyone knows what is going on, and when, and ensuring everyone understands their role in the process, has everything they need, and, if possible, is comfortable.

The submissions have to be captured on the way in to the council, assembled, indexed and distributed.

Then comes the timeconsuming, manual process of matching speakers’ preferences for time slots to the 8-10 sessions available over three days.

‘‘Usually we can fit people into their preferred slot, but there’s always some who change their mind about coming.’’

Staff contact all the speakers the day before they come in to make sure the programme is as efficient as possible.

People get 15 minutes to speak and answer questions, their minutes remaining displayed on an old but reliable traffic light contraption.

Whitfield said as well as lining up speakers, there were extra responsibilities managing the councillors at hearings.

Each session has a different chairperson and panel of councillors, so they also have to be moved around, and rounded up.

During the hearings, the staff have to make sure presenters know how to use the technology if they bring presentations, make sure everyone has copies of additional written material presented, and keep notes of extra points raised verbally.

They are in charge of housekeeping,

health and safety, and are also responsible for sending out messages for help when there are problems with the temperature controls.