Cost saving not welcome

Council staff are manipulating standing orders to delay a cost saving notice of motion being considered by council, says Councillor Hayden Evans.
Hayden wants to remove the six sitting city councillors from the hearings commissioners list - a move he says will cut their pay - and costs to ratepayers, by $10,000 each.
The six affected councillors will be unable to vote on the notice because they have a pecuniary interest in the outcome, so Hayden believes he's got a good chance of getting it passed - if it ever gets before the council.


Councillor Hayden Evans.


Notices of motion have to be presented five clear working days before the next council meeting. Hayden was told by council staff that his notice of motion filed Tuesday, April 20 at 9.41am was too late to be included in the council meeting on April 27 it will instead have to be heard on May 31.
Not only was it too late, but the April 27 meeting is a "special" meeting to discuss the parking management plan, he was told.
"This is bull****. It is not what it says in standing orders," says Hayden.
"I shouldn't have to go through hoops to introduce this.
"Standing orders do not define what the five clear working days are. They're making it up as they go along."
Hayden's notice of motion calls for independent commissioners to deal with consent applications.
Conflicts of interest arise under the present system where councillors who make the bylaws then sit on hearings panels enforcing those bylaws.
"These issues raise concerns with the community and some fellow councillors," says Hayden.
Over the past two years there have been a number of hearings where council commissioners have been unable to adjudicate because of conflicts of interest.
If the council changed its policy and used only independent commissioners the costs could also be passed on to the applicants - instead of the ratepayers paying for them.
"The council has a policy of being open and transparent," says Hayden.
"By having only a list of nine commissioners on its books, it could be perceived that council has its own controlled group of commissioners."
There are more commissioners nationwide than are on the Tauranga City Council commissioners list. They have greater levels of experience over a wide range of skills covering all areas of the RMA, says Hayden.
"For the Tauranga City Council to lose its perceived conflict of interest over the control of independent commissioners, it needs to let the applicants choose their own commissioners."
The councillors who are also hearings panel commissioners are; Greg Brownless, Wayne Moultrie, David Stewart, Mike Baker, Stuart Crosby and Bill Grainger.
They are paid $68 an hour on top of their councillor's salary by the city council for sitting on hearings panels, and $88 an hour for a panel chairman.



11 comments

Cost Savings at TCC

Posted on 24-04-2010 08:57 | By The Sage

What is bull**** Hayden Evans is that you are even still on the Council. That you have the audacity to make such comments, is beyond belief. Given your track record of unpaid rates and a DIC charge, you would be better off to keep your mouth shut and not draw anymore attention to yourself.


Thomas

Posted on 26-04-2010 16:00 | By The Master

Looks like Mic "OVER BAKED" Baker has rolled out his favo dog tag again ... it is a cunning way to run two comments at once and try and spin a yarn that there is more going on than really is. Sadly both the listings of "THOMAS" and OVER-BAKED" are not on subject, please do brush the old grey hairs aside and see a little daylight here, you can not see straight on this while City hall pays money into your account, ratehr simple idea and I am sure after a wee while in contemplation you will pick up on it. Mic you are clearly on the take here on this subject so you feeble attempts to talk about it are compeltely baised, it is a simple idea ... you seek to keep the money that you should not be getting anyway and dont want the perks to be taken away from yourself and your chummy chums, it si like the BRAT PACK, a little like a child at preschool wanting to keep a lolly ... its mine its mine its all mine. If you are "HONEST" Mic you can not stay in the meeting when it comes time to vote it all out so as there are no lollies to have any more.


THE OLD BOYS NETWORK IS WORKING WELL

Posted on 29-04-2010 18:04 | By The Master

So the boys in the back room are clearly getting a bit tetchy as a few cracks are appearing. It is a case of hear no evil see no evil and if you ignore all the NAUGHTY things we are doing behind closed doors then you are allowed to stay. Looks like things have been brewing for a while, wondered why Cr Evans left the Transport committee, these commissioner payments becoming known to the public arena is becoming uncomfortable for the RAT PACK boys. These old boys are all in a feeding frenzy here, question really is though what don t we know about what goes on behind the many closed, secret and confidential meetings at TOWN Hall. Perhaps the truth would be known for all if there were no secret meetings then all would be transparent, and transparent is what all of us ratepayers like the most.


THOMAS THE TANED engine

Posted on 30-04-2010 13:17 | By The Master

Thomas has not been able to obtain separation. 1 Council affairs = relevant 2 Evans personal matter - not relevant Perhaps Evans has good reason to be a little grumpy with TOWN Hall, he was owed over $300,000 as per the files at HOBEC from TOWN HALL for over five years, but did you see him complain in public about that. HOBEC were interviewed and the amount was confirmed. At the time HALF BAKED wrote and complained to TOWN Hall staff criticising them at lenght about how Evans had totally nailed TOWN Hall in the hearing teh vote was 8-3 in favour of Evans. This also answer the silly comments about teh Commissioers exams and more. Think again thomas you are riding the wrong mule here!


THEYWANT THEY VOTE THEY TAKE

Posted on 25-04-2010 11:51 | By The Master

The Sage (looks like the fake name of Thomas Brown, the real person is reappeared here) seems to be a little muddled or perhaps posting on the wrong page? line removed by editor. Commissioner payments look like secret payments and extra perks to councilors, quite clearly getting extra money is in the profiteering category for councilors. If you receive public money then that without doubt is a position of conflict for a councilor receiving that money and they must leave the room when this is discussed and voted on, this is basic, obvious and not even a need to ask for it, only MP s get to vote themselves money in the middle of the night with five minutes warning and over before you see it or read about it. No guesses about who gets the extra money as listed, Dregs, Mouldy, Stew-cart, Goofy, Frisbee, and the Lone Ranger than you could believe, perhaps more aptly named The Six Pack because they are all on it and it is not very good for anyone else like all the ratepayers, they clearly are ensuring that they personally benefit from ratepayers and are already paid to do a job (not that they are doing it to well). That is called double dipping.


Posted on 27-04-2010 15:36 | By The Sage

I have never seen so much rubbish written about so little. Good on Mike Baker for telling it like it is and putting his name to it. The Master obviously has too much time on his hands. He thinks he will deploy all this by pointing the finger at other people, not so. The only person on the wrong page here is The Master and I am sure this will be backed up at the next Council elections. Of course if he was so concerned about double dipping and costs incurred by the ratepayers he could pay his own outstanding rates and resign from the Council before he makes an even bigger mockery of himself.


Evans dismal record says it all

Posted on 25-04-2010 21:30 | By thomas

I don t trust Evans based on what I ve seen since he got on council. Here are some suggestions for councillors to ask Evans when he brings this motion to council. Because it will be publically reported the answers will help the public determine how much of Councillor Evans claims they can believe or trust. They will be able to decide on his integrity. Have the police returned Cr Evans guns to him? After getting a drink driving conviction did Cr Evans go from the council road safety committee only if the council wanted it (as he said on Sunlive he would do), or did he actually do the opposite and resign first? Does Cr Evans accept his salary from ratepayers? If yes, has Cr Evans paid all his rates on all his properties in full? If so, did he pay his rates on time? Given his claims about cost savings, was Cr Evans reported as being a landlord who paid his cleaner a whopping $45 an hour? Is Cr Evans such a great businessman yet there was a gst irregularity on the cleaning invoice? Compare the rates he paid his cleaner by telling us how much an hour are council cleaners paid? This is only the stuff I ve read about. It will be interesting to see what councillors support Evans. I ll do some research on some of Evans claims in the story and post again in a few days when I ve found out the full storey.


Cr Mike Baker

Posted on 27-04-2010 07:27 | By The author of this comment has been removed.

Every time THE MASTER pens something it becomes increasingly obvious as to who The Master actually is!!!!. With "The Master" always being so upset about my references to the ongoing antics of PICK 6 it is therefore logical to suggest that "The Master" has exceptionally close associations with that team? Unlike "The Master" I have always been prepared to put my own name to statements, that I make, but of course this has been disputed by PICK 6 members who has accused me of being a certain Mr Jonkers..... WHOM I AM NOT.


APPROPRIATE LABELS

Posted on 27-04-2010 12:22 | By The Master

Just to clarify Frisbee = Stuart Crosby Mouldy = Wayne Moultrie Baker boy or Mic OVER BAKED Baker = Mike Baker Fickle = Mr Faulkner Stew-cart = David Stewart Digger (as in drains) = Mr Grainger These are the SIX PACK


THE SAGE SIEGE

Posted on 27-04-2010 16:56 | By The Master

Interesting ... I have no time for finger pointing Mama Sage, only to say how it is, clearly when reply you forgot to say where or when that anything was wrong! If there was anything wrong you would have been able to place a few small words to paper to show it, yu have not, need I state any more. Please attempt to get back to topic, I do understand with a little age that the short term memory fades and on forgets I have seen this oh to often at City Hall in the many years I haev been there.


Cr. Mike Baker

Posted on 26-04-2010 08:29 | By The author of this comment has been removed.

Once again Cr. Evans of PICK 6 fame takes on something that he knows absolutelky nothing about. Great from someone who is not invoved as a hearings commissioner, although he did commence the ratepayer funded course, but never completed it but maybe he would now like to refund the course cost in order to reduce ratepayer costs even further?.... yeah right.


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