Perhaps there should be a closer look at QLDC
The reorganisation at the Waitaki District Council could as easy relate to the Queenstown Lakes District Council.
It is with great concern that the ratepayers of the QLDC are footing the bill for many poor decisions made by senior management of council, with respect to poor scoping and budgeting of major projects.
These include Lakeview in Queenstown, on part of the site of the previous camping ground.
Council are looking to have payback as the project proceeds and it is quite clear to date that this may never eventuate, when in fact the site could have been sold for millions of dollars.
I understand council has spent many millions of dollars preparing the site which was unforeseen when the present deal was signed.
The shortcut road to "nowhere" has been a disaster cost-wise and has still to be completed.
The Walker property purchased on the Ladies Mile is another example of poor decision making, with the home on the property at present being demolished because of being leaky. If this was known at time of purchase those responsible should be held to account.
The latest pet project is the proposed Manawa project, partly for new council offices.
As reported in ODT the senior management team have been asked to report back to councillors with the correct report as presented by the hearings panel.
I live in Wānaka and I have highlighted Queenstown projects which affect all ratepayers, but similar projects are also happening in Wānaka, the latest being the shambles at the Caltex corner.
Speaking with many of the first-term councillors they feel they are being completely shut out by senior management when they ask questions on these matters.
Perhaps it is time for an overhaul of senior management. When council has increased its debt by about $100 million over the last 12 months something must be wrong.
Perhaps it is time to have the government step in and put QLDC into statutory management before it is too late.
Old banger doing all right
Excellent news for Pothole Brown, Admiral of the Ferries (ODT, 23.7.24). Aratere, which not long ago had a dizzy spell and ran aground, has been voted best-in-fleet.
Better still, with a thorough make-over and generous sick leave for those days when the world is just too much, all three ferries should be good for another five, possibly seven years. Why go for a Corolla when an old banger will do?
A millstone round the necks of Dunedin ratepayers
Hopefully all the Aurora naysayers loudly making it known not to sell this DCC company should read the opinion article (ODT, 22.7.24) a former director, Richard Thomson, wants it sold.
In my mind the last sentence in the article provides the reason every Dunedin ratepayer should endorse the sale.
If not sold this company will be nothing more than a millstone round the necks of all Dunedin ratepayers for years to come.
There are a lot of Dunedin ratepayers on fixed incomes.
They cannot afford the forecast large rate increases proposed to occur over the foreseeable years.
Being rated out of one’s most likely mortgage-free property would be very hard to take when late in life.
Having to pay for the ongoing cost of the at times rather neglected lines maintenance, and now to provide the transmission lines to satisfy nearly out-of-control industrial and housing development that Aurora services outside of Dunedin City costs a lot of money.
No dividend back to the Dunedin ratepayers when that has to be done.
Unless using borrowed money that has to be paid back with the addition of interest payments.
Hopefully, if sold, then all that would be required would be just three independent directors to look after the funds.
Just three, as this normally prevents cliques and ego-building people from forming their own agendas.
For all those people then expecting outrageous electricity power increase if sold, the Commerce Commission is there to prevent this happening.
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