My Account
Greg Sayers
Phelan Pirrie
Rodney Councillor Greg Sayers has delivered a broadside against the Rodney Local Board, saying its chair’s “totalitarian style” and the Board’s failure to work alongside him has hurt Rodney ratepayers and scuppered the chance of getting more money for essential road sealing.
But Cr Sayers views have been flatly rejected by the Rodney Local Board chair Phelan Pirrie.
Cr Sayers made the remarks during the annual general meeting of the Northern Action Group on July 20 and expanded on them further after being contacted by Mahurangi Matters.
Cr Sayers told the meeting that he had been involved in protracted negotiations with the Mayor, deputy Mayor, Auckland Transport chief executive and Council’s finance committee chair for weeks, insisting that if he was to support a 3.5 per cent rates increase, then Council would need to spend more money on Rodney, particularly for road sealing and other needs, such as the upgrade of the Hill Street intersection.
Cr Sayers said the Local Board supported a 3.5 per cent rates increase on condition there was a seal extension budget increase from $1 million to $2 million, but this was “more of a hospital pass than a lifeline”.
“It undermined the figures of $8.4 million this year and $14 million for seal extensions next year that I was negotiating with the Mayor,” he said.
Cr Sayers said if the Local Board had been courteous enough to ask whether its approach was helpful, he would have said ‘no’.
“The Local Board should have got much more for agreeing to a 3.5 per cent rise.”
Cr Sayers said it was critical that local boards and councillors workshop and discussed issues, concerns and strategies especially at critical budget-setting times, but this was not happening in Rodney.
“I’ve made the initiation to attend the Local Board workshops on a couple of occasions via the chair, but without any acceptance.”
Cr Sayers said even his requests to see copies of workshop presentations so he could be informed of what Council officers were discussing with the Local Board had been refused.
This stood in sharp contrast to the practice of other local boards, which allowed the public to attend their workshops and welcomed their Councillor to do so “with open arms”.
“I have even made the offer to meet monthly or bi-monthly with all the Local Board members to ensure open communication and the sharing of ideas, but regrettably this also has been rejected,” he said.
Cr Sayers added that the Board disregarded public feedback, which showed that 75 per cent of Rodney’s residents wanted a 2.5 per cent rates increase or less, but he was shut out of any meeting to discuss that reasoning.
“My concerns are not personal; they are about business. And that business is about achieving the best possible outcomes for the residents and ratepayers of Rodney. However, the Board chair’s totalitarian style is preventing that.
“I’m hoping the Rodney Local Board will lift its game. To best benefit Rodney ratepayers, we need to work as a team.”
In response, Board chair Phelan Pirrie said he was surprised by Cr Sayers’ remarks, saying they were inconsistent with other public comments he had made.
He said contrary to Cr Sayers’ statements, the Board had made every effort to engage with him during the budget process, but he did concede that Cr Sayers had been excluded from one workshop on the Emergency Budget.
“Greg made an unusual last minute request to attend one of our workshops on the Emergency Budget and gave no reason for this. It was confidential so I declined,” he said.
“Greg has an open invitation to attend our business meetings, which is in line with other Local Boards. It is not usual for councillors to attend Local Board workshops.”
On the question of the road sealing budget, Mr Pirrie said it was clear that hundreds of millions of dollars of worth of work had to be deferred.
“No one was asking for increases in budgets. Cuts have been made across Auckland and it would have been untenable to take the position that the road sealing budget be increased,” he said.
“I was not party to Greg’s negotiations with councillors, and at no time did he mention what his strategy was, despite us talking regularly.”
Mr Pirrie said the Rodney Board unanimously supported the 3.5 per cent rate increase because the alternative would be highly detrimental to Rodney. All 21 Local Boards in Auckland also supported the 3.5 per cent increase.
Cr Sayers was one of only three councillors who voted against the increase. He was joined by Albany Councillor John Watson and Albert-Eden-Puketapapa Councillor Christine Fletcher.
The budget for road sealing next year now stands at $1 million, down from $5.9 million.
