Heated Exchange As Coast Council Promises To Lift Game

Friday, 28 June 2024, 7:25 pm
Article: Brendon McMahon - Local Democracy Reporter

A legacy of dysfunction continues to be defended by the West Coast Regional Council.

The council has had four chief executives in four years, while a procession of managers have flown in and out, causing a reliance on external consultants.

And in 2023, a lack of investment in the council's internal systems culminated in a rates mess -- on the back of a damning report mid-year on council's role in consenting the controversial Taylorville Resource Park landfill.

A new chief executive, Darryl Lew, started in June 2023 and the need to rebuild internally has been a constant theme since -- as evidenced in the 2024-34 Long Term Plan document.

The just adopted LTP, on June 25, mandates a 27% rates increase in 2024-25, so council can better manage its day-to-day business while also handling big projects like the $22.9 million Westport flood scheme.

But feelings run deep -- as evidenced at the recent annual Wanganui Rating District meeting at Hari Hari with flood scheme ratepayers.

As council fielded questions from the floor, the atmosphere was testy.

Council chairman Peter Haddock profusely -- and repeatedly -- apologised through the four-hour meeting about the lack of continuity and consequent answers.

Council was moving to rectify that, Cr Haddock said.

"As you know, we were running on lots of consultants and things."

Council now had better capacity to respond with more internal staffing, Cr Haddock said.

But after the June 20 meeting, rating district spokesman Jon Sullivan described the level of defensiveness at the meeting as "bloody pathetic," in comment to LDR.

The community wanted some "straight answers" and council had yet to prove the changes it had made would help them, Mr Sullivan said.

In comment to LDR, Cr Haddock said concerns raised at the meeting was no surprise.

"It's just the same old legacy issues we're dealing with.

"We can only say sorry. I can see the frustration too," Cr Haddock said.

The Wanganui Rating District is the single largest river protection rating scheme on the West Coast.

Council plans to advance a $7 million scheme to improve from the Government's new infrastructure funds next round -- although special rating district members will have to cough up a share.

On June 20, outcomes promised a year ago which would help them decide on future investment were not apparently forthcoming.

Hari Hari farm owner Bryce Thomson said the promised report on the merits of continuing the Wanganui protection scheme had yet to be seen.

It followed an expert presentation to them at the April 2023 meeting which suggested the Wanganui River was being 'strangled' by flood banks.

Mr Thomson said they were told then, "options will be prepared".

It seemed difficult to now ask ratepayers to consider anything new without it, he said.

"Is that report available?"

Council staff said it would be put on their website.

Mr Thomson also asked why capital expenditure and maintenance of flood assets were mixed up on the balance sheet when the rating district was a maintenance scheme only.

The council staff response was not so clear following repeated questions from the floor.

La Fontaine farmer Mary Molloy was very forthright about mixing "capital works as maintenance" and it needed to be cleared up.

"You still haven't fulfilled the legal requirements for an AGM," she alleged.

Her husband, Lindsay, said he wanted to see every piece of maintenance under their scheme itemised so they could see the outcomes from their annual budget.

Cr Haddock responded: "It's a valid point."

"It's been a valid point for a number of years," Mary Molly shot back.

Mrs Molloy said rating district members felt bypassed in decision-making yet, despite owning the assets.

Council now contended it owned their flood protection assets, which was incorrect, Mrs Molloy said.

Mr Lew said the assets were on council's books because "we hold the liability".

"You don't pay the bills -- they are assets for this community," Mrs Molloy replied.

Mr Lew suggested they agree "to disagree".

"I won't even agree to disagree," Mrs Molloy said.

They later agreed a legal opinion was needed.

Mr Lew acknowledged the inherited issues, but the council now had a full team.

"We do plan from here on out to pick up our performance," he said.

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