Ms Lewis, manager of the information centre which has registered a 30% increase in visitor numbers this year, said she was not contacted by the council about the $103,000 funding reduction that could take effect in less than three months.
Other Oamaru tourism-related organisations and businesses have expressed their shock and disappointment at the news the Harbour St centre, which employs about 10 people, all of them part-time, could lose two-thirds of its $150,000-a-year funding.
Ms Lewis said she had no prior notice from the council before she discovered the plan to cut the centre’s funding.
"I’m gutted," she said.
"We have not had any official contact, there’s been no discussion. I found out about that cut by chance."
The details were listed online in one line of the agenda for the council’s March 14 meeting.
Under "revise visitor centre arrangements", it revealed the council proposed to cut the funding by $103,000 in order to reduce the coming year’s rates hike.
It also showed it had been discussed as early as February.
Ms Lewis is employed part-time as manager of the Oamaru & Waitaki Visitor Centre.
The centre has had 9000 people through its doors during the first three months of the year, a 30% increase on the same period last year.
"[Visitors] want to talk with locals at the visitor centre, who can tell them what they should be doing."
A common response from visitors was "we had no idea this was all here", she said.
Ms Lewis was disappointed that after nearly three years of building up the centre, it looked like the funding was being cut.
"It just seems such a pity, since we’ve proved the concept."
Cutting $103,000 from the centre’s budget would leave it with $50,000 for the coming financial year.
Ms Lewis contacted the council and was given details confirming what she had read.
She was not given any any information about the case for the funding cut, she said.
"I’ve asked for the information that was actually put forward to support the case for cutting funding and I’ve received no information back."
She could not say how the centre would operate on a $50,000 budget.
"That’s not even enough to cover the staff costs. It's a seven-day-a-week operation," she said.
The proposed funding cut would help reduce the district’s projected rates by 0.28%.
As there are about 14,000 rateable properties in Waitaki, the $103,000 would cost each ratepayer an additional 15c per week.
Oamaru Whitestone Civic Trust chairman Graeme Clark said the trust had received no information from the council about the planned funding cut.
“The board is very disappointed there has been no communication with the trust at all."
He pointed to the irony of reducing the visitor centre’s budget when this year’s WDC Annual Plan had a focus on tourism.
"[The trust] totally backs the visitor centre and Whitestone City."
The Oamaru Mail contacted Mayor Gary Kircher and chief executive Alex Parmley with questions about the proposed cuts.
Emailed responses were attributed to a council spokesperson.
The council spokesperson said the visitor centre management should have been notified once the proposal was recommended as part of the annual plan.
Instead, the information was given "in response to a question from the manager of the service".
"At that stage, she was notified that the budget was being reduced." the spokesperson said.
People were increasingly using online sources of information, reducing the number of people using physical, local services, they said.
When asked how the cut would impact tourism in Waitaki, the council spokesperson said they expected "minimal impact".
A $50,000 budget would ensure the visitor service continued, although in a reduced form, they said.
Based on the past year’s budget and visitor centre numbers, the cost per visitor to the centre was almost $7.
"When looking at value for money, the amount spent on the service compared to the number of people served makes this an expensive service."
Submissions to the annual plan close on Sunday, April 30.
A final decision on the proposed cut is expected to be made in late May and confirmed near the end of June.
The decision would come into effect from the start of July.
By Arrow Koehler
