Shame on you TCC

Posted on 02-06-2011 08:36 | By craiglacy

What a shame TCC can't find the xtra money for the brillant service that Surf lifesaving offers in the Bay of Plenty.However only a few weeks ago TCC managed to find the xtra funds to give there Councilors a pay rise. To be honest I think the surf lifesaving do a better job for the community than the Councilors, and I would rather see my rates go towards surf lifesaving more than a Councilors pay wise.

Austerity needed by all

Posted on 02-06-2011 08:48 | By JSmithington

Tough times require tough measures. With higher inflation and low pay rises, everyone in the community has had their income and buying power effectively cut. If ratepayers had to fund and pay neverending inflation adjustments for all the worthy groups out there, our rates increases would be even worse. $141,000 seems a big amount and fair enough. I wonder how much those who are rescued donate to Surf Lifesaving. Maybe we will see a rise in volunteers instead of paid people who seem to have taken over many sports and hobbies and previously volunteer services. I'm sure Citizens Advice will also manage. They give good advice to people on how to cope with many things, including budgetting.

Budget

Posted on 02-06-2011 08:54 | By tabatha

Our so called City Fathers know the organisations they support for the good of the community and should factor in the inflation amounts before they work out what money is available for other projects. The Surf Life Savers have for a longtime now as has CAB been part of the city. Somewhere in the advice our elected few are getting someone/s are forgetting these as part of the essential services. Come on City Fathers you are that sit down and have a real think about the services that require help each year and factor them in before the grandstanding items that are what people call non essentials. Wonder what would happen if the TCC had to run the Life Savers like it happens in some places overseas!

Sydenham Park

Posted on 02-06-2011 08:59 | By Mr bay

Mybe the $20000 being wasted on a park that no one has heard of or can safely access due to no parking, could go to the lifeguards, an organisation who saves lives...Maybe you will need them one day J Smithington and they won't be there because of lack of funding, not only for paid gaurds but equipment, then you'll have wished the TCC had front up with some more dosh...

In reply to Mr Bay

Posted on 02-06-2011 10:04 | By JSmithington

Whether I'm saved or not by surflifesaving isn't the point. If your argument was taken to its illogical conclusion you'd simply find your rates paying every worthy emergency organisation in the city, at whatever cost they deemed necessary and with upward adjustments every year. Just not affordable. Other emergency organisations are short of cash but don't seem to get council funding. To think of a few there's the rescue helicopter, the coastguard, suicide prevention groups, the ambulance service and the list goes on. If you're not feeling the squeeze at the moment, you're lucky and maybe you can afford to increase whatever support you give to the surflifesaving club. Many ratepayers aren't so fortunate.

top up idea?

Posted on 02-06-2011 12:48 | By claypole

The surf 'club' has probably the best function room in the Bay. could I ask why it is not aggressively advertised as such for the public to pay for its use (weddings etc), especially as the land it sits upon is council owned. I visited a surf club on the sunshine coast in aussie and found it full of families enjoying the view and lunch/tea.

the club

Posted on 02-06-2011 14:53 | By traceybjammet

i have wondered why with the only view over the beach at the Mount why the surfclub is not used to its capacity day and night all clubs elsewhere have an all welcome all the time feeling coffee lunch functions sometimes run by volunteers sometimes by a small business caterer who takes a cut what better place at the mt to have a drink and a sausage sanger than at the srf club???

Donations for the Surf Life Savers

Posted on 02-06-2011 15:00 | By The author of this comment has been removed.

I wonder if any of the people whose lives have been saved by our hard working life savers ever give a donation to the club in acknowledgement of their lives being saved? Perhaps a "user pay" fee would help out with the low budget the club runs on?

lifesaver - mint with a hole in the middle

Posted on 02-06-2011 15:16 | By morepork

Surf Lifesaving in NZ is simply inspirational. Dedicated people save lives and make our beaches safer. We can all revel in the mintiness, but what about the hole in the middle? They need equipment, premises and there are operational costs. Yes, these are austere times. It is probably tempting for some people to say:"I never use the beaches, why should I pay for lifesavers?" (We are seeing a deal of this attitude in posts recently, as a direct result of being cash strapped). The fact is that if you make lifesaving cost-effective, what price do you put on a life? If they saved ONE child (and it was yours) how could you repay it? The calls on the public purse are diverse and manifold and it is right and proper that these calls get inspected and argued about, but if we are to enjoy any kind of a community there are costs involved. Mr. Bay says to take the money from Sydenham park. That would mean that any future philanthropists wishing to leave their assets to the public could not be sure that the deal would be honoured. craiglacy says it was a real bad time for Councillors to give themselves a raise. He's right; at the very least, it was tactless, but there may be legal requirements which mean they had no choice. Our best bets to try and contain the spiralling costs of community, are to look for minimizing waste, improving efficiency, and streamlining the administration, rather than slashing and burning public facilities. Fortunately, in this instance the Lifesavers, (like the amazing people who staff the CAB), will get by without too hard an impact on them and they are probably able to recognize that they are not being singled out; it is just the way things are at the moment. Claypole made a good point about the surf club facilities being used to raise revenue for the club, at least on some occasions.

@JSmithington

Posted on 02-06-2011 15:29 | By Mr bay

I would rather a portion of my rates go to organisation such as the lifeguards, firebrigade Ambulance/Rescue helicopter than to things like the White elephant such as the city gallery or to a park no one knows of....at least that way when they are needed then the emergancy services will be there. They shouldn't need to beg for funds, and should have more govt funding.

Accountabilty

Posted on 02-06-2011 16:07 | By bigted

Where are the funds spent? Electricity/telephone? Presumably no rates! A publicised breakdown of costs is needed for this and other council funded "services."

Citizens Advice funding and Live savers ..

Posted on 02-06-2011 17:49 | By Murray.Guy

Citizens Advice funding was set at $50,000 per annum around 2003. As we know, this service is performed largely by volunteers and if not carried out, would fall on to the shoulders of the TCC Staff. The Surf Live saving Grant pays for the 'paid live guard services' during the peak summer period, not the volunteers. I hope the surf live savers will pro-actively look at ways to seek income / donations off those who benefit from their services. Perhaps by the sale of coloured plastic wrist ties, to display your support of the service?

Mmmm...

Posted on 02-06-2011 18:35 | By tibs

I gave to their jandal / bucket collection the first time last season but then when I saw that they were circumnavigating the country in an IRB to celebrate an anniversary, I began to wonder. That and seeing footage on TVa few months ago when they got a new IRB and then let a group of All Blacks play around and try to sink an older one, made me wonder how much respect they had for the gear they have. I'm certain they do a good job but in these times, I'm interested to see comments from "Surf Life Saving New Zealand regional business development manager Sarah Lockwood". A fancy title, maybe through her job she could earn the shortfall for the organisation. Take a drive in the service lane behind Burger King at the Mount and see the sign written vehicles they have and the offices. Looks more like a commercial enterprise, not the voluntary service many of us associate with Surf Life Saving. I know it's only $4700 they're not giving and in Mary Dillonspeak it would be less than a cup of coffee a day but there are many of us not seeing any improvement in come, let alone being inflation proofed. Perhaps the CAB showed integrity and respect or appreciation for their existing funding by not speaking about it. Except they can't play the same "emotional" card that the Surf Life Savers can.

Time for a reality check!

Posted on 02-06-2011 21:18 | By The author of this comment has been removed.

Both CAB and the Lifeguards SAVE LIVES, one metaphorically , the other literally, and they don't get an adjustment. Yet TCC makes grants to both Sports Bay of Plenty and Creative Tauranga. I assume that TCC thinks that that they do BETTER than save human lives, and so are more valuable to our community!!!

User pays, or users save yourselves

Posted on 03-06-2011 02:22 | By The author of this comment has been removed.

Perhaps it's time this crazy mindset that "i throw myself into dangerous water and someone will be standing by to save me" is due for a re-think. Don't want to drown? how about not getting in the waves?!!! or set yourself up for self rescue, or wear a buoyancy aid. Since when did it become my responsibility to save you, or pay for it? What if I like to put my fingers in the bean slicer... are ratepayers going to pay for someone to standby to pull my hand away when my digits get too close to the blades or administer first aid? What arrogance from beachgoers and surf clubs alike.

The absurdity of the whole SLSC merry go round of fools is clear to see on that ridiculous Piha Rescue programme.

Creative Tga & Sport BOP Difference

Posted on 03-06-2011 02:52 | By Murray.Guy

A significant point of difference most folk would realise - Sport BOP and Creative Tauranga are organisations Councils ask to provide agreed services on our behalf (instead of Council staff). Those services are defined and they are remunerated an agreed amount. No different to asking Fulton Hogan to fix a road. Other community support organisations (and there are many (EG: Merivale Community Centre, Womans refuge)approach Council (ratepayers) for generic support in recognition of their contribution to the well-being of our residents.

for Morepork

Posted on 03-06-2011 16:27 | By al pillocksworth

Morepork quoting the so-called Sydenham park, needs to be sure of the facts. This was never left to the city. It seems to have been meant for the uni or polytech for education. Also , talking about deals being honoured, please explain how the art gallery honoured the deal to only seek a one-off million payment from council. Now it's nearly that every year. In my opinion no honour there. As you've said before, a deal's a deal, or is that only when it suits?

User pays

Posted on 04-06-2011 09:30 | By bigted

If we have a road accident we are fined. No difference here. A downside is that we could be 'saved' unwillingly to pay their wages!

@ MURRAY, NO DIFFERENCE

Posted on 04-06-2011 11:01 | By PLONKER

The Art Gallery, Tga Sports, Creative TGA, Lifesaving: they are all the same in that TCC pays for services provided by other than TCC staff. The only difference is that the Lifesaving has got hammered for CPI with what is an "essential function" where as for example the Art Gallery have stitched TCC by promising a "one off $1m" to setup but TCC have continued to throw money (about a $1m a year cost) at it every year. Spot the difference Murray!

@ Plonker

Posted on 05-06-2011 12:10 | By YOGI BEAR

Yeah mate, the difference is about saving lives having safe beaches and so on v's wofflely airhead dream merchants being able to have lattes for free and dreaming up even more silly things to do with rates money. Give that lot a real job!

A Fools Paradise

Posted on 05-06-2011 15:02 | By MINDER

Lifesavers and Citizens Advice have every reason to be peeved.Creative Tauranga Priority One Art Gallery and Sports BOP all provide what CR GUY likes to think of as Council 'services'.Wrong they all receive TCC funding and then proceed to do their own thing so long as they can get away with it.At the end of the financial year most come bleating to Council for top ups.Lets be rid of these self centred self serving empire builders and save ourselves millions.Only then can we assist the more deserving causes.

More thought

Posted on 05-06-2011 21:24 | By tibs

I think people are allowing the warm fuzzies to affect their feelings. Surf Life Saving NZ had income of $8.8 million according to their website, for the year ending June 2010. This is big business. Anyone read the article in the Herald On Sunday, detailing the financial woes that Surf Life NZ have created by a restructuring? Also if the council grant is 79% of their total income, then that means they only create $37,000 income themselves, in the BOP. I'd have though that their facilities rental and bar take would have exceeded that. Also I believe they have accommodation there for Lifesavers use. I suspect they may be using figures to their own advantage. Also, those who think that the Lifesavers deserve more money are free to give their own money or time or goods etc. There's a lot of criticism of council for not giving more but whose money is the council giving? Usually the ratepayers money. Also patsyanne is not far off the mark in her comments about Piha Rescue. I'm in partial agreement but still recognise the great job they do.

Cut them all adrift

Posted on 06-06-2011 11:03 | By Insider

tibs .... you make some good points but the TCC hanger on spongers that get the additional help are far less deserving than Lifesavers and CAB .Of course don't overlook the fact that Hockey ,Cycling and Cricket etc etc have all tried it on too in some cases striking the jackpot.

@ TIBS

Posted on 06-06-2011 13:42 | By WARTS N ALL

Life saving has merit, just take a loook at teh name ... Whereas Creative TGA, Art Gallry and the likes jsut seem to hand out more and more latte's. You could also look at the likes of Hockey with it hand up for Millions for new grounds and atleast that keeps the youth active and in sporting activities. There are certainly some wierd ideas lurking around and just a little hard to follow. But the one common factor of them all is that the more the cost and he bigger the annual losses the more likely that TCC will throw money at it.

U THINK LIFE SAVING IS BAD !

Posted on 06-06-2011 18:56 | By MASSA KISSED

Pools less than 10% and look at the capital cost and debt as well, Baypark/TECT Arena be lucky now to be 10% and falling. Lifesaving at does something useful and at a lot less cost than those other misfits.

FAIR GO AT THE TROUGH

Posted on 06-06-2011 19:01 | By Scambuster

Cancel all the handouts and lets start with a clean slate.TCC to specify total amount available for wastage and then TCC ratepayers can specify allocation to spongers by % on the payment of their rates --it is called a referendum no more than 5% to any one sponger.

SOME OF THE BIGGEST TROUGH FEEDERS

Posted on 07-06-2011 04:21 | By PLONKER

Looks like the biggest $$ feeders in teh trough that should not even be there are still at it , yet the useful and needy get capped, just does not seem fair.

Read before you criticise

Posted on 08-06-2011 15:47 | By sunnygirl

I have read the council reports and TCC fund 79% of the programme (monday-friday patrols during peak summer) that SLSNZ go to the council for---NOT 79% of the total income. There are 73 clubs and 16,000 members according to their website. if you read the website it clearly says that most of the income is through sponsorship and grant funding. To the person that discussed the Mount surf club-this is not SLSNZ, this is a separate entity. get your facts straight people.

@ SUNNY BUNNY

Posted on 09-06-2011 02:36 | By TERMITE

I do believe that you are correct, however mass money is still increased based on CPI to other areas that should not even be getting a penny, very strange really.