Kaipara Commissioner - John Robertson - Your Questions Answered

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There have been a number of  innuendos and incorrect statements in  letters   to  the  editor that the commissioners wish  to address.   In order to get the  facts out, and  answer  some  of the questions  that people are asking in Mangawhai, we are beginning  this column – Your Questions Answered – in the Mangawhai Focus.

It  is  important  from the  start  that  we assure readers that their council is on a road to recovery. The council is neither insolvent  nor  bankrupt. It is being directed in a professional  way by peo- ple well experienced and skilled  in  governance. The commissioners took over the leadership  of a council that was in trou- ble just  six months  ago. It  had  poor  process.  It had  made  poor  deci- sions. All this is being attended  to  as  we work alongside council CEO Steve Ruru and his management team.

Ratepayers are rightly aggrieved  by the  record of errors, poor judgment, and with respect to the wastewater scheme, cost blowouts. The commis- sioners acknowledge this history. They cannot change  it, but they must and are addressing the issues that still impact us from  this  period  in  the best possible way for res- idents and ratepayers.
 
Are the commissioners on your side?
Let  me  assure   readers that the commissioners are on the side of the community.  They were appointed after the elected members found matters confronting them overwhelming.   They were appointed to intervene in the best interests of the community,  and to act as a well performing council should. We are spending considerable time engaging with the community and working with  community groups to  help  community  development. We enjoy this facilitation role.
 
Are the commissioners covering up the past?
Much of what we are doing is attending to issues that are the result of past poor practice. Nothing we are doing is “covering up the past”. Expos- ing and understanding what went wrong in the past  is  important to  us all. Only then can we es- tablish accountability.

Will the Local Bill remove accountability?
The Local Bill, if passed  by  Parliament, will  validate  a  number of rating  errors  made  by past councils going back six  years.  These   errors
are all explicitly revealed in the Bill. We are taking particular care to ensure that nothing that we do removes       accountability, nor  removes  liability, should the Auditor-General or any regulatory authority find that individuals or corporations should  be brought  to account.
 
Will the Local Bill affect my rates?
Most people are up to date  with  their  rates.  If you are, you will not  be required  to pay anything more.  All that  the  Local Bill does  is validate and place beyond doubt the obligation to pay these rates.

The Local Bill and the  Auditor General’s investigation   deal  with  matters from the past. The sooner that we can deal with them, the better, for as they fester, they incur more cost, with ratepayer resources   being  applied to legal fees rather than public services.  It is important that we focus on the future. Commissioners   have reviewed    the    ten-year plan for council in depth, a plan that was set by elected members in August 2012. We have proposed  changes  to this plan. If you wish to review our  proposals,  and or make a submission on them,  you can do so online at www.kaipara.govt. nz.

The   draft   plan   can also be viewed at either of council’s offices in Dargaville  and  Kaiwaka  or at any of our  community libraries.  A summary of the document is also available online or at ei- ther of council’s offices.  We trust that this information  is  helpful.  In the   next  issue,   we  intend to answer questions around the Mangawhai Endowment  Fund.

Kaipara Commissioner John Roberson