Council ‘asleep at wheel’

The Invercargill City Council’s budget blowouts on Don St and the Chinese Garden highlight that the council was ‘‘asleep at the wheel’’ in the management of these projects, a ratepayers’ advocate says.

Invercargill Ratepayer Advocacy Group spokesman Nobby Clark said the situation also illustrated that people needed to stand up and ask more questions about how their council was spending their money.

At a council meeting on Tuesday the council was informed that the council’s investment property on Don St could face a possible $4.5 million over-run, and that the Chinese Garden in Queens Park cost had risen from $600,000 to $882,000. It was voted that work would stop on the garden project.

In reference to Don St, Clark said yesterday that it was too easy for the council to blame its operational management. ‘‘The reality is we elected these people, so you have to wonder if someone from the council should have had a better handle on that. The same applies to the Chinese Gardens. I feel that the council was asleep at the wheel.’’

A report tabled at the meeting states that the Chinese Garden budget blowout was because of ‘‘unbudgeted costs associated with completion of buildings’’.

Robert Wilkinson, a founding member of the ratepayer advocacy group, said the Chinese Garden highlighted that the council was not looking after its ratepayers. ‘‘It’s going to be half the size for twice the price . . . where’s the protection for us? Who is looking after us? We seem to be getting left behind.’’

He questioned whether a relationship with the Chinese, forged in a sister city agreement between Suqian and Invercargill to build mutual gardens in their cities, was important to ratepayers.

In reference to the garden, Invercargill City Council chief executive Clare Hadley disagreed with implication that there had been a blowout, because ‘‘it hasn’t occurred yet’’.

She believed the term was in reference to Don St, and it had been ‘‘unfortunate timing’’ for the Chinese Garden.

Suqian sister city representatives had been told of the issues around the project, she said. ‘‘We shared the news before the meeting because we take seriously the desire to have no surprises.’’

The Chinese city’s Invercargill garden, which Hadley recently visited, was about 80 per cent complete.

‘‘Would I have chosen to have got to this point? No. Do I hope we can work through this for the sake of the people of Invercargill? Yes.’’

She said she hadn’t heard any argument that would suggest withdrawal from the relationship, and until the council decided, efforts would be made to continue with the sister city friendship. The council had entered into the agreement with Suqian five years ago.