Pot plants part of council costs plan
Daily emptying of city centre bins, funding for community events, a $250,000 coffee machine contract and even cleaning the council’s pot plants – all face the chopping block to save money for Christchurch’s ratepayers.
Sweeping changes are being made to the authority’s budget to keep a planned rates rise as low as possible, despite a $90 million financial hole left by the coronavirus lockdown.
Dozens of minor changes, many to everyday things that affect people’s lives, are being considered in an effort to shave $23m from the council’s day-to-day costs.
Grants to restore heritage buildings, swimming pool maintenance and funding for events for children and older people could all be culled or scaled back.
Major changes are also on the cards behind the council’s doors –
$1.7m is being slashed from the budget for consultants, $2.65m saved from a recruitment freeze and another $1.7m from a salary review.
Funding for rebuild agency Development Christchurch could be cut by $1m, for promotional agency Christ-churchNZ by $1.33m, and a $1m grant to Regenerate Christchurch scrapped entirely.
Little appears to have escaped scrutiny, with even a contract to water, feed and clean the 2529 pot plants at the council’s Hereford St headquarters – almost one for each of the organisation’s 2829 employees – being reduced by $16,500.
Council chief executive Dawn Baxendale, whose 10 per cent salary cut will save $51,480, said staff put options to councillors based on their low impact on levels of service, how easily they could be brought in and their effect on the recovery from the coronavirus fallout, all while having to avoid triggering a new long-term plan (LTP) process.
‘‘That meant a really deep look at the operational savings across the board,’’ she said.
The revised annual plan’s 95 options to cut operational costs include:
■ Scaling back maintenance at libraries and swimming pools and bringing some community parks contracts inhouse, saving $535,628.
■ Emptying the central city’s 299 bins four times a week instead of daily, $150,000.
■ Reducing funding by 25 per cent for community events such as children’s day, culture galore, skate jams and neighbourhood get-togethers, $62,000.
■ Switching marketing for library events and services to online only, saving $160,000, and cutting marketing of Christchurch events like Summer-Times, saving $30,000.
■ Slashing travel and training budgets for elected members and council staff by 70 per cent, $2m.
■ Heritage grants for private properties cut back by $494,000, repairs to historic headstones stopped for a year, saving $156,672.
■ No more printed programmes for Anzac Day event, costs reduced by 25 per cent for civic events and catering budgets for citizenship ceremonies cut in half, saving $66,397.
■ Hosting and making Sister City visits scrapped for 2021, $20,350.
■ A $250,000 contract for 29 coffee and hot drinks machines for council staff to be cut by $150,000, and a catering assistant role providing tea and coffee for meetings cancelled, saving $35,000.
■ Scrapping Sky TV subscriptions at sports centres, $15,000.
Potentially controversial proposals to charge for excess water use, bring back the weed killer glyphosate and finish dredging the Heathcote River are also being mulled over.
Baxendale said coronavirus had upended the council’s ‘‘very stable’’ financial position, leaving a deficit of $33.2m and business income disappearing.
‘‘That resulted in an incredibly challenging financial position that isn’t just for this annual plan but will continue going forward,’’ she said.
The examination of operational expenditure was only the ‘‘first chapter’’ of a root and branch financial review that she promised earlier this year, with more scrutiny to come for next year’s LTP.
Despite coronavirus’ financial impact the proposed average rates hike of 3.5 per cent is lower than any since 2015.