Viewpoint – Delegated authority

In less than five months from now, we will have a new Mayor. What change might that bring to Rodney? It depends on who we choose based on what they are saying they will offer us, and how they decide to exercise their executive powers under the Local Government Act.

I’m undecided as yet as to whom I’m voting for as Mayor, because I’m waiting for the candidates to start addressing Rodney-specific issues. It’s not hard – tell us you will put more money into sealing roads, more effort into working with central government to get our notorious intersection sorted out, address the growth issues with solid action plans for new infrastructure, cut the fat from the bureaucracy, and provide better services. I don’t even need to know that you will cap my rates – the last Mayor said that and had to renege on it. In fact, my rates have gone down over the last five years so I just want better value for what I’m already paying, and to trust that my money won’t be wasted.

More specifically, from a Local Board member’s perspective, how about a bit more delegated authority for boards to make decisions over local contracts, and a bigger share of the regional budget to ensure a higher degree of local governance? The current legislation allows for this. We have an executive mayor, so it is up to him or her to make those delegations.

Two particular phrases entered our vocabulary on amalgamation into the SuperCity: “procurement policies” and “preferred supplier agreements” – those Council policies that allowed for centralised decision-making and have resulted in outside contractors coming all the way from the city to do minor maintenance or regular cleaning in our halls and public toilets, for example. But there are ways around these if we work smarter.

Partnering with community groups who have the capacity to get local projects off the ground is key to stretching our Local Board budget. For example, if a local toilet block needs to be replaced or refurbished, supplying a capital grant to an organisation who have some funds of their own, expertise, labour or access to discounted supplies etc. could mean cutting the cost of construction down from say $500K to half of that. Instead of a ‘bog standard’ concrete block appearing as a blight on our landscape, and irking the local residents for years to come, that community group could also employ local architects and artists to produce something really special and unique. Substitute the words “playground”, “walkway path” or “village beautification project” for the toilet example and, well, you get my drift. Local suppliers and contractors would be utilised and a sense of community ownership would result – a win/win for all. So let’s work on getting things done sooner, faster, cheaper, better and together.