Bay Councils urged to share administration
June 29, 2009
One council for Napier and Hastings? Read article
Dominion Post 9 June 2009
Twin bureaucracies could be costing Hawke’s Bay ratepayers millions of dollars a year because of political apathy toward fixing the problem, say two councillors.
Auckland’s move toward a single “super-city” has revived discussions in Hawke’s Bay about the potential for cost-savings through better co-operation between Napier City Council and Hastings District Council.
Napier and Hastings are 20 kilometres apart, and are both under the umbrella of Hawke’s Bay Regional Council, but operate largely independently of each other.
A referendum in 1999 that could have amalgamated the councils was supported by Hastings but rejected by Napier.
Napier councillor Bill Dalton and Hastings district councillor Wayne Bradshaw are steering clear of advocating political amalgamation, but say there is no reason the two cities could not share a streamlined administration system.
The pair, who both serve on the region’s jointly run landfill committee, say it is now time for a formal investigation by a joint working party into how the two councils can combine their contracting, purchasing, and governance systems to cut costs. “There’s been a lot of talk about councils working together, but nothing ever seems to happen”, Mr Dalton said yesterday .
“Up till now, it’s only been a big talk-fest. It needs to be formalised, with a timetable. Rates are becoming a big thing in people’s lives. They’re an enormous part of their budgets. If there are savings to be made, we should be doing it.”
Mr Dalton and Mr Bradshaw are asking their councils this week to set up the joint committee and a timetable to put its findings into effect.
“We could get a positive outcome, not just everybody feeling good because they’ve talked about it and gone back into their burrows,” Mr Dalton said.
Mr Bradshaw wants Hastings to “go as far down the track as possible to investigate and get some serious benefits”.
“This is like the start of a courtship. Who knows what will come out of it. Nothing is pre-determined, but if we don’t look we’ll never find,” he said.
Hastings Mayor Lawrence Yule and Napier Deputy Mayor Kathy Furlong say they do not believe there are huge savings to be found by merging the councils’ administration, but agree that a common district plan would be an advantage.
Mr Dalton said if Auckland’s reorganisation went well, Wellington would probably be next, then possibly Hawke’s Bay. Some closer co-operation now could make such a transition a lot easier.
RATING THE COSTS
NAPIER CITY COUNCIL
Ratepayers: 23,800
Total rates collected in 08-09: $46.2 million (including GST)
Council’s total income: $94.8m (excluding GST)
Operating expenditure: $78.2m
Total staff: 411 fulltime equivalents
HASTINGS DISTRICT COUNCIL
Number of ratepayers: 29,009
Total rates collected in 08-09: $58.6m (incl GST)
Council’s total income: $93.5m (excl GST)
Operating expenditure: $81.4m
Total staff: 364 fulltime equivalents
