Viewpoint – Challenging times

Recent storms have added to the budget pressure Council is under.

Like many households Council is also weathering higher interest costs and inflation; and in addition extra costs of damage to infrastructure and land from slips and water damage.

On the Coast there were many homes directly affected by flooding and slips. Both locally and elsewhere across the Albany Ward I have been out with stormwater experts bringing issues to their attention and understanding the complexity of the issues involved. Operational and maintenance attention has lifted with more regular cleaning of the catch pits in roads that block, stormwater inlet grills like those at Stanmore Bay and stream monitoring and maintenance. Bigger fixes involving piping and stream widening and sediment removal are under assessment everywhere. 

Absolutely more information and transparency are required so people know what flooding may happen in advance of the type of storm events we’ve had.

On private properties especially in the vicinity of the coast and on sloping sites, it is more important than ever to pay close attention to surface water and drainage. Avoiding soakage on our clay soils is especially important; worse case are those locations with Northern Allochthon geology where slips can occur more frequently once water gets down to lubricate the mixture (this formation runs down much of the East Coast including the Hibiscus Coast).

As this issue goes to press the Council is working on its budget. We have a number of options for this next financial year – but will have to address underlying structural issues like overspending, getting developers to pay for the true cost of growth and better sources of finance to better match our expenses – both operational and capital.

Selling the Auckland Airport shares alone doesn’t solve the underlying problems – and there is certainly merit in having investments that might be termed a ‘rainy day fund’. Sorting this out will be part of the Long-Term Plan that is underway.

What the budgeting issues are highlighting is the need for Council and the Council Controlled Organisations like Auckland Transport, Auckland Unlimited (stadiums, zoo, art gallery, tourism, and so on), Watercare and Panuku (Auckland Development) to have better control of spending and revenue. Earlier this year councillors gained access for the first time to more detailed financial information – something I’ve been seeking for some time. We are now much better placed to effect more effective oversight to direct the chief executive and effectively the whole organisation.

As this year unfolds, we have more challenges ahead; upcoming increases in the City Rail Link, storm damage repairs and the recently announced buy outs of flood prone properties in a measure being driven by the government.

With all the issues I remain optimistic that Auckland, and especially the Hibiscus Coast, is a great place to live and that we will find ways to solve our financial problems and adapt to future weather and storm events.