Pay rises for the Waitaki mayor, councillors and community board members have been recommended by the Waitaki District Council's strategy committee.
The committee has recommended the council, at its meeting on February 24, should approve the increases, based on a remuneration pool calculated by the Remuneration Authority.
The authority has recommended the pool for the Waitaki council, from which elected representatives are paid, should increase by 4.38% to $311,230.
Remuneration authority chairman David Oughton has advised councils not to reject the pay rises, partly because this could lead to larger increases in the future, which would arouse greater public opposition.
The changes recommended are (with present pay in parentheses): Waitaki Mayor Alex Familton, $71,728 ($69,187); deputy mayor Gary Kircher, $23,509 ($22,340); committee chairmen and chairwomen, $22,040 ($20,943); councillor subcommittee chairmen and chairwomen, $19,101 ($18,151); councillors, $17,632 ($16,775); Ahuriri and Waihemo Community Board chairmen, $13,224 ($12,556); community board members, $5877 ($5585).
The Waitaki District Council expects to make about $1.5 million from the sale of three commercial buildings in central Oamaru.
Yesterday, its property manager, Dougall McIntyre, told the property committee all three properties, which were offered for sale by tender last year, had unconditional sale agreements.
The property at 47-51 Thames St sold for $455,000, 209 Thames St for $520,000 and 19 Eden St (the former Waitaki County Council chambers) for $580,000.
The gross proceeds from the sales were $1,555,000 without the deduction of fees and other costs.
"Sick" museum: The North Otago Museum and Athenaeum was a very sick building and needed urgent work to stop rising damp rotting the Oamaru stone and timber, museum director Rowan Carroll told the property committee.
The committee has decided $25,000 should be spent on the building to solve the problem, including fixing the floor, which could collapse over time.
The problem had been caused by building up the footpath outside the museum, blocking ventilation grilles.
A thin layer of bitumen, used as an experiment when the museum was built in 1882, had not stood the test of time, allowing moisture to creep into the stonework and wood.
It was hoped reopening the grilles would solve the problem, drying out accumulated moisture under the building.
If the rising damp continued, a new waterproof membrane may have to be put between the foundation and walls.
Road realignment: Despite safety concerns, the council's assets committee has recommended Ben Omar Rd, near Omarama, be realigned with State Highway 8.
The request came from landowners who have developed irrigation on the property on each side of Ben Omar Rd, with the agreement of the New Zealand Transport Agency.
The proposal is to shift access further west towards the Benmore cutting.
The change had been approved by the Ahuriri Community Board, but Cr Struan Munro said the Omarama community was worried about safety issues, particularly in winter, when the road was icy.
Chief executive Michael Ross said of greater concern was moving the access closer to the brow of the hill.
