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- By Andy Baker, Franklin ward councillor
In late May, Auckland Council adopted our latest budget.
It feels like (because we are) on a constant treadmill for our budgets. This year’s budget is
year two of our current LTP, and we have not moved from a rates increase of 5.8 percent. If
we could be lower, we would, and most of the increase is due to the costs associated with the opening of the City Rail Link.
We have included another $47 million in savings on top of the existing savings target.
Doing things better and more efficiently continues to be a focus.
We have also been able to find $7 million to enable us to play our part in attracting and
maintaining major events in the region. Concerts and big events are hugely important to the region for a variety of reasons, and we do have a part to play in helping to get them and to compete with the Australian east coast cities, where Aucklanders consistently travel to for different events.
We want the government to create a bed night levy so there is less reliance on ratepayers,
with those attending contributing. It is used successfully overseas, is not a tax or targeted rate and is purely a user-pays type of regime.
The changes to how we operate are significant, particularly with the changes to our Council Controlled Organisations (CCO), in particular the bringing into council control of our property and redevelopment CCO Eke Panuku.
There will no longer be a board controlling what and where they do things, and there will, I
believe, be a real benefit through this move, especially with the creation of a dedicated
department in council overseeing what Eke Panuku did and with elected reps having the
decision-making responsibility and also the accountability.
Auckland Transport, too, is going to be the subject of significant change, which relies on a
yet-to-occur change in legislation.
I support the intent of the change but am also wary of some of the proposals and am adopting a “be careful what we wish for” approach.
This council term has been one of huge change, which I believe has been incredibly timely
and important.
