Tricky time for the council
For Porirua City Council, 2014 has been a year of consolidation and traversing a minefield of tricky issues.
Big- ticket items such as the super- city, Transmission Gully and the council’s long-term plan have dominated.
The decision by the Local Government Commission to choose the two-tier system earlier this month – as favoured by the regional council and Porirua City Council – has hardly been mentioned in the debating chamber in Porirua.
Shared services, such as landfills and water, have been lauded, but the other councils in the region look set to send the super- city proposal to a referendum next year.
Porirua mayor Nick Leggett has been outspoken in his support of a super-city.
In an opinion piece in The Dominion Post, he said: ‘‘Unfortunately the loudest voices tend to be in opposition to things like major roading projects or the need for an additional, smaller stadium venue. Having nine councils and countless government agencies pulling in different directions, I’m not surprised it took seven decades to get Transmission Gully started.
‘‘While we wouldn’t want to live anywhere else, people I talk to in Porirua and throughout the region share my concern that Wellington is lagging behind. We can be stronger as a region by working together.’’
A super- city has huge implications for Porirua City. We wait with bated breath for the inevitable referendum and to see whether the work being done in advance of Porirua’s long-term plan has been for nought.
Other issues that occupied councillors’ and council officers’ time included the future of the Canopies, Titahi Bay’s Marines Hall, a living wage for council employees, the Northern Growth Area Structure Plan, the Cannons Creek shops makeover and planning for Porirua’s 50th birthday in 2015.
Important measures that were introduced included a local alcohol plan and a draft bylaw to restrict the areas that legal highs could be sold.
The turning of the first sod for Transmission Gully in October was a mayoral and councillor photo opportunity.
A story that generated much interest was our June 17 front page, when we listed the salaries of the council’s top managers. Thirty managers earn more than $ 100,000 and the six highest earners take home more than $ 175,000, information that engendered lots of letters to the editor.
The living wage and Canopies debates also generated heated discussion. The Canopies debate is likely to continue to heat up further after they are removed in January. Will sunlight flooding in be a boon for the CBD or will shoppers want protection from the elements?
Porirua’s elected members have been active. Nick Leggett and Euon Murrell continue to lead from the front, inside and outside the debating chamber.
Leggett’s involvement, with Mana MP Kris Faafoi, in challenging New Zealand Post’s decision to consolidate the Mana PostShop into an existing business reflects how he is in touch with issues that matter.
His fronting of Gigatown showed a high degree of social media awareness. It was a shame Porirua came up just short in the competition. More than $152,000 was spent by the council on the unsuccessful campaign.
Ken Douglas’ gravitas still holds sway at meetings and his wisdom is appreciated by the younger faces around the table.
Former mayor John Burke, a surprise winner in the eastern ward in the 2013 local body elections – essentially deposing deputy mayor Liz Kelly – has held his own among younger colleagues.
Izzy Ford is the only first-term councillor and is making a solid fist of the job.
Bronwyn Kropp’s speech on the Marines Hall, when she described the derelict building as ‘‘ a big joke’’, was a highlight, as was the terrific turnout by members of the public to the following meeting of full council.
The Marines Hall decision was not palatable to the supporters and members of Porirua Little Theatre, but Kapi-Mana News felt the decision by the council to demolish was the right one.
A threat to take the decision to the Environment Court by the chairman of Titahi Bay Residents’ Association, coupled with a looming resource consent battle, means we have not seen the end of this issue.
A Standard and Poor’s finding in July that Porirua City Council was being run efficiently was music to chief executive Gary Simpson’s ears.
‘‘We anticipated an AA- rating, so it’s very pleasing to have an AA,’’ he said. ‘‘Part of our financial strategy has been to manage debt at the lowest possible cost.’’
Simpson said the new rating would enable the council to fund on borrowings at a lower cost and gave the council an extra $600,000. Rates, however, continue to surge. The council signed off an average rise of 5.76 per cent for residential properties in June – an extra $ 126 a year for a $381,000 home.
We reported in September that Aotea residents faced an average rise of 7 per cent, after new property valuations.
The long-term planning in the first half of next year will make interesting reading to see what further rises the council proposes between 2015 and 2025, and what projects are prioritised.
On a sad note, long-time council watchdog John Watson, from Titahi Bay, died. He was a regular correspondent to this newspaper and former and current mayors, councillors and chief executives conceded Watson kept them on their toes, questioning council policies and spending regularly.