Household analogies bubbled out of councillors who were deciding yesterday on what approach they should take on limiting council debt.
Cr Sophie Barker, who used the spa pool metaphor, said the city council should give itself the room to start with a wish list and then discuss how much of it could be afforded.
Cr Andrew Whiley said the council was not giving itself an open chequebook but maintaining options, because a lot of investment was needed in the next 10 years.
"We’re not buying a spa pool. We’re upgrading plumbing and doing electrical work."
Cr Steve Walker said not keeping up with maintenance made the accounts look wonderful, initially.
"But your fixtures and fittings will start failing and your house will start to crumble around you."
Cr Jules Radich suggested real households did not have the luxury of starting with a ‘‘blue-sky budget’’ and then removing things from it later.
Cr Lee Vandervis was appalled by his colleagues’ appetite for debt.
"This doesn’t just open the floodgates. It tears the floodgates off their hinges."
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Kindergarten kids have more intellect than these council clowns.
I couldn't agree more, with the exceptions of Vandervis and Radich.
Dear Mr Wiley,
Bike paths through the Caversham & Wingatui tunnels, bike and foot bridges to no where, $30 million on a bike way to Pt Chalmers, $60 million to "fix" George St. These are all "spa baths" or simply unnecessary frivolities.
Stop expecting future ratepayers to pay for your idiotic and wasteful ideas.
Port Chalmers shared cycleway is NOT a council project.
I've lost count of the number of times people have been told this but they still continue to spread this misinformation.
Could someone explain to these clowns that money borrowed has to be paid back, with interest. So many of DCC vanity projects are just that, unnecessary vanity projects. yet they cannot maintain the infrastructure we have. Could we tie the cost of all this to their salaries, maybe they would be a bit more careful with the cash then (except for the mayor who seems clueless in everything).
These so called leaders with the exceptions of Cr Jules Radich and Cr Lee Vandervis should be ashamed of themselves. Dunedin you have elected a bunch of sandals who are just yes sir yes sir how high shall I jump. Watch this space they now have an open cheque book and will go rouge. The DCC has proven they can't plan. Dunedin's going to have the best Mayoral sandpit in the country if not the world. Start to put pressure on the Mayor and his sandals Councillors start to protest on the council door steps. If not for the current people of Dunedin but the future generations you owe it to Dunedin's forefathers ,
"Rouge" lol
Keep 'em coming, best entertainment on this site.
Spa pools? The urge to go into debt is similar to the spa pool urge, sure. Once you are in the pool, you will be milked like a goat.
All this will beggar the next generation.
Since when was it okay to put future generations in crippling debt?
I'm OVER the DCC spending our money on idiotic projects, then increasing the rates we pay (and struggle with) to cover the costs.
With the exception of Vandervis, they have no care for the damage their outrageous spending does to Dunedin families.
They need to get booted.