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The Weekend Sun
CBD bus fiasco: violence and disorder
Sea lettuce ruins bike ride My wife and I were appalled the other night to see a huge sea lettuce bloom approx 5m x 3.5m in size floating near the shoreline. The sea lettuce has been a constant problem here within the Tauranga estuaries and harbour. On several occasions when I have cycled the full length from Ferguson Park to Waihi Rd via Daisy Hardwick walkway the unbearable stench of hydrogen sulphide and sight of decaying sea lettuce have spoilt my ride along the waterfront. What will
happen to values of the beautiful homes close by? Clearly this problem lies with Tauranga City Council and Regional Council.They are responsible for maintaining parks so why not the waterways? It is an embarrassment to cross the Otumoetai/Chapel St bridge with out of town visitors. Finally I don’t know of any other city with food outlets allowed close to a sewage treament plant. Mark Petherick, Tauranga Harbourwatch Inc.
Where has all the money gone? TCC has finally decided to change the money hungry TCVL to something new, better and leaner, or have they? With Director Fees at least doubled and the Mayor said “no staff will lose their jobs …” the signs are ominous for any meaningful change in the future when the wage costs are about 36% of all costs how then can any significant savings in rates be made? The plan is to “fine tune” user fees revenue by increasing it by 10%, to reduce operating costs (mostly wages) and administration costs by 8% and 10% respectively. The huge dilemma facing the new Director’s is how to “save $1.8m/pa in
less than three years” … with significant limitations in what is allowed to be done? Perhaps only by demoting middle/upper management to the frontline so reducing the huge administration salaries (e.g. CEO $180,000pa x2) but what Council has ever done that? The TCC staff review revealed that the manager/staff ratio is 1:4, other Councils are 1:10 so it is obvious where the real savings can be made. But sadly only front line staff have been affected, the staff review is a feeble attempt at a staff audit that failed. Currently about 15% of every ones annual rates goes in and it is not coming back out ever! I Stevenson, Tauranga.
There was no need for TCC to have ever courted this violence and public disorder issue. A majority of the usual council suspects voted for this Bus Centre nonsense. It’s cost TCC ratepayers plenty, after being repeatedly told it was the wrong place for it. Now we have the usual knee-jerking and handwringing to employ security in plain daylight to keep order on the CBD streets, right outside council chambers front door, costing $50,000 p.a.(minimum) TCC ratepayers yet again “told to pay” is completely unacceptable. The council staff infighting resulting in redundancy and grievance payments totalling $1.3 million since 2007, Mayor Crosby has barged into the fray like a bull in a china shop. We have Mayor Crosby finally admitting the council’s wage cost is $37m/pa, that’s 40% of all rates intake. The last audited annual accounts say $39.4m, also conceding staff numbers are about 500 – in fact it’s closer to 550+200 CCO’s staff with an additional wage bill of $7m/pa and observers don’t need to wonder why there’s financial misery going down at TCC. This council outfit is in financial and administrative turmoil, call in the regulators! It is councillors that need a security blanket thrown over them to protect the public from their decisions and excesses…
RR’s recently put the total TCC debt at 30-June2012 at $391m (TCC spin-doctors), while critics put it at $460m (according to Audit NZ) but currently it has gone over $500m by all accounts. Jenny Dyer, Tauranga.
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Electromagnetic: What of it? In answer to Mary Brooks: Well, $30m is just a pittance! However you are quite right in the fact that the ‘electromagnetic spectrum’ was dreamt up long before the Treaty of Waitangi - and also that the then Maori people were not literate. But - as this is the case, should the ‘then’ so called educated European have given themselves the right to try and out-wit and deceive and conquer a race of innocent people by taking their lands en masse with little or no compensation? How many Billion would that be? More than 30 Billion - If now considered ‘accurately’ in a proper Court Of Law. We all know that the first version of the ‘Treaty of Waitangi’ was distorted by the British when they translated it into Maori. The then Maori language was written down by the European - most convenient Wouldn’t you agree? As for Dr. Pita Sharples - I have much admiration for this man and even more so for Mrs Tariana Tiria. Alys Ingrid Wicksteed, Tauranga.
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