The opening round of restructuring at the Tauranga City Council to match the current economic reality began with a confidential briefing on Tuesday from council chief executive Ken Paterson.
'Essentially, what we have asked the chief executive to do is reset this organisation in view of the new operating environment we find ourselves in with the change in the economy - and it's as simple as that,” says Mayor Stuart Crosby.
Ken Paterson.
The Mayor says Ken will be putting out communications in due course after talking to staff.
The confidential briefing to councillors on the first phase of the process took about 45 minutes. Ken could not be contacted for comment today.
Ken was the chief executive of Northland Regional Council when he was hired by Tauranga last year.
He was Northland chief executive for four years. Before that Ken spent five years as chief executive of Techscape, an infrastructure works and maintenance company with about 290 staff formed by the former Waitakere and North Shore City Councils. Before that he was the Taupo-based generation manager for Contact Energy.
It is his private/public background and his experience reshaping the Northland Regional Council focus from a largely environmental one to also encompass economic and infrastructure development and social and cultural matters that won him the Tauranga job.
He also reorganised the Northland Regional Council's workforce and played a key role in development of the region's recently-completed multimillion dollar Northland Events Centre in Whangarei.
Tauranga City Council employs 550 people and has retained staffing levels while many city ratepayers' businesses have been forced to downsize – while their rates demands have continued to increase.
When he was hired, Stuart Crosby said Ken impressed with his background in private and public sector administrations, and his experience finding innovative solutions.
His strong economic development focus was welcomed.
'The elected members all agree we need to look at the council's service levels and find new and better ways to do things smarter,” said Stuart.
'This might mean changing the way we deliver some things – but certainly we know the community wants us to continue to find the savings and efficiencies we can do within the organisation. Mr Paterson will be ideal to assist us to do this.”
5 comments
Is this crunch time? Doubt it.
Posted on 14-06-2012 09:31 | By Phailed
Especially for the extreme ends of council salaries paid to some jobs? Not having a go at all council staff, just the ones in the more airy fairy departments. Some of those salaries are huge from what I hear. I wonder if some people will be paid redundancy then hired back - the sort of thing that really annoys me about government in general. Anyway the council has plenty of money for PR and communications and safety advisers on bridges, so why the interest in restructuring? Also plenty of money for Baypark and Speedway and Hockey turfs and Safe city etc etc etc???
CONSULTING WITH STAFF?
Posted on 14-06-2012 14:22 | By YOGI
Like they are going to agree to any changes except more pay and more of them ... when will someone independant be allowed to clean up the place? Actually if TCC was to "accommodate the current economic climate" then 50% of TCC staff would have left already in the last 3-4 years but instead we find that the numbers have grown.
You go Yogi
Posted on 14-06-2012 16:21 | By Hector
Time to go pruning, get rid of the dead wood, like that is going to happen, I am so over the entire structure of local goverment, and as you say, if they are serious, they would start cutting now, it should have been really done 3 years ago!!!, but ir will not, and here was I thinking our city manager stated when he took on the role, that he was going to look at ways to reduce expenditure, nope not a chance.
TCC Staff Audit Mandatory
Posted on 14-06-2012 20:35 | By RORTSCAM
Some have been agitating for staff cutting to happen for nearly a decade and now we suddenly get all the platitudes like "we need to do things better and smarter" from Mr Crosby who has been one of the worst offenders in letting TCC staff levels got out of control. It was not more than 12 months ago TCC staff numbered 500 now it is said to be 550 hows that for Mr Crosby and his Team keeping a cap on it ? Total wages bill most be approaching $35m so average wage is $64000. It can't keep going and at least 200 staff must go saving TCC ratepayers $13m per annum.
Who should be first to go?
Posted on 14-06-2012 20:49 | By Accountable
Mr Paterson should take a long hard look at himself and if he was honest he would make himself the first to go.His attitude to the ratepayers is worse than abysmal and the sooner he removes himself from office the better off Tauranga will be. He should also take every council controlled business and council funded organisations with him and let natural attrition take place with the resulting savings through zero redundancies.Last but not least,if the workers who are not good enough to work for council and are made redundant and accept any form of remuneration should not be reemployed as consultants in any shape or form.If they are not good enough now they never will be.
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