On Thursday evening last week I attended a special Howick Local Board meeting. Timed to allow the members to consider feedback from locals on the proposed Emergency Budget before it goes to council.
Some interesting insights into some of the 2,549 responses from the Howick Local Board area. 51% voted for a 2.5% increase, while 27% voted for a 3.5% increase. 65% voted in favour of the rates postponement scheme and 72% for the suspension of the targeted accommodation rate and it’s linked tourism projects. Some other themes that came out which I’d love to explore in more detail at some stage.
The Board responded with feedback not just to the main questions, but in quite a bit of detail which was good to see. I did live tweet the decisions but there were a lot to cover (took 3 hours) and I'd prefer to wait till the minutes were up. Here are a couple of highlights
only support 3.5% rates increase based on the impact that 2.5% would have on ability for council to deliver and with proviso's to limit asset sales;
only support reduction in Local Board Transport funding if Community Safety Fund is retained;
do no support the delay to Ormiston Community Centre and Library;
do not support deferrals in stormwater projects, especially where intended to address immediate risk to people or property;
asked for more meaningful engagement with Local Boards and Community on any further decisions especially asset sales, transport and changes to facilities.
While I didn't agree with every decision made, it was good to see some healthy debate and the detailed response. Faced with such a stark and messy proposal, it would be easy to respond in kind but I felt the Board was trying to be constructive and realistic.
This was most obvious when responding to the proposal to sell an additional $200m in assets - the Board noted concerns that the timing would mean council was unlikely to maximise its return and that the Board needed more information to make informed decisions. Where the Board had already worked with Panuku, they could actively challenge the sale or in a few cases, support the sale.
It will be interesting to see what other local boards have said, I suspect there will be some common themes. Ultimately this is a decision by the Governing Body of Auckland Council which is made up of the Mayor and 20 Councillors (2 for Howick). Auckland Council is reviewing the feedback and making their decision on Thursday 16th July. I'll be there and will report back.