WHAT I SAID WHEN NO ONE ON WELLINGTON CITY COUNCIL WOULD SPEAK OUT.

WELLINGTON UNDER ATTACK BY THE MAYOR AND COUNCIL

The city is still sleeping but I'm already at my work station. At last night's Full Council meeting the approval to spend $1 million to contribute to the consent application for a runway extension was rushed through. This was done without a general consultation, shutting out public opinion. Democracies rely on openness and informed debate. What is at stake here is our point of difference. We have a domestic air terminal that fits with our point of difference. We are without doubt, in a world of man's imperfections, a paradise city. Being a connected city does not depend on an international runway. What happened to the climate change concerns and preoccupations of our city mothers and fathers at last night's Council meeting? The vote to spend $1 million on the consent application for the runway extension was opposed by myself and Councillor Helene Ritchie. Shouldn't the public have been given the opportunity to comment on this first $1m? The door is now open on the first of many millions to be spent in an assault on our paradise city. Will we have growth at any price?

Don't let the truth get in the way of a good story

Remuneration Authority decision - clarification  and details

Contrary to the impression that may have been given by yesterday's front-page story in the Dominion Post, Wellington City Councillors are not set to receive a 9% salary increase after the 2013 elections.

A summary of the existing and proposed arrangements follows.

The total cost to the ratepayers under the new Remuneration Authority proposal (to take effect after the election) will be $1,436,600.

This is an increase of $24,664 pa which equates to a 1.7% increase (compared with an overall increase of 8.9% across the country).

The current pool of money available in Wellington City is $1,411,936 which includes all salaries paid to the Mayor, Councillors and Community Board Members.   

Blissful ignorance at the Council Table? / My reply to Karl du Fres

"Blissful ignorance at the Council Table" makes for an amusing read. 

Malcolm Muggeridge made some interesting observations about the 

media and one of them was "whatever the media was saying usually
the opposite was happening".

In the case of your contribution in today's paper there is more than

a grain of truth. However those witty comments leave out one of the 

most serious issues. This year we are well on the way to borrowing 

$400 million. Over the next 9 years we will have paid $287M

in interest on our borrowings.

Twenty years ago the Council had no debt, performing assets and

money in the bank. There were plenty of jobs and virtually no 

unemployment in the capital. We now have inter-generational debt 

and a massively over inflated view of the value of the city's asset base. 

Let me quote you from the 2013-14 Draft Annual Plan. 

Page 23 "Total borrowings are forecast to be $397.7 million at

the end of 2013/14 increasing to."??? "Over the same period our

forecast asset base totals $7.1 billion in 2013/14" Yeah-Right .

Don't let the truth get in the way of a good story. You know as well 

as I do that the realisable assets are more like $350million on a good day.

Has the media been sleeping also?

They certainly don't attend many council meetings, unlike 20 years ago!