Community board meeting 11 May 2009
The Golden Bay Community Board met in Collingwood on Tuesday this week without either of its ward councillors. Both Cr Borlase and Cr Riley were required to be in Motueka to hear submissions on the LTCCP. Mayor Richard Kempthorne sent his apology to the board for the unfortunate clash.
Matters of interest included ongoing interest in the board’s relationship with its governance body, a suggestion for a possible interim alternative to cycle lanes, and the longer-term fate of the Ligar Bay baches that are licensed to be on public land until 2014.
In the Public Forum, Sara Chapman said that in her view the community board wasn’t working because the relationship with council had broken down. She suggested a memorandum of understanding between the council and its boards to give an operating framework that lasted longer than the terms of elected councils and boards.
“Information and issues aren’t being carried through to council - except by (community services manager) Lloyd Kennedy who does his job very well and isn’t too expensive,” said Ms Chapman. “We gave the representation review the loud and clear message that having a community board was the way we want to be represented. I’m opposed to the targeted rate, but I’m afraid it’s here to stay. The council needs to know that if they are going to charge us for the privilege of having a board, it’s their responsibility to make sure that it works.”
Ms Chapman pointed to that day’s meeting as an example. “The councillors, through no fault of their own, are not here. How are today’s issues to be carried forward?” Ms Chapman called on the board in the second half of its term to be proactive to re-establish the relationship and get more people involved in the democratic process.
Board chair Joe Bell explained that the board had “felt aggrieved when we were told that we were bogged down on two issues, so we assembled a list of our many activities to correct that false impression in some people’s minds.” Mr Bell also said that, since the last board meeting, the board had had “helpful” meetings with the ward councillors and, separately, with the mayor and the deputy mayor.
Board member Carolyn McLellan said that the councillors had chosen not to be members of the board to avoid any suggestion of conflicts of interest at the council table.
“This has happened before and it’s been managed before – here and elsewhere,” she said. “In our meeting last night, both the mayor and the deputy mayor said they would go back and re-examine the role of community boards. I believe there has been a change of heart. The CEO can see that this would be a good thing to do. I have confidence in a good outcome.”
Board member Leigh Gamby said: “The gap has got to be narrowed, but we cannot and will not stop doing what we have to do about the targeted rate.”
On the same matter, Alan Vaughan said that if the Auckland super city goes ahead, the Local Government Act may be amended to force councils to delegate responsibilities to community boards.
Roadside sealing. The board had suggested that there may be some value in sealing some Golden Bay roads right to the formed edge. As much as an extra metre of road might be gained this way, providing a chance for traffic to stop safely, and for cyclists and pedestrians to use. Local contractor Merv Solly earlier agreed to use a special gadget called a tensionometer to establish whether the formed edges would withstand the sealing and the extra traffic. He has offered to trial the idea on the western side of McCartney’s Hill. The board resolved to request a trial sealing if the information gained made it likely to succeed.
Mr Kennedy advised the board to forward its request to council’s new roading engineer, Gary Clark, saying that Mr Clark had positive views about cycleways.
Ligar Bay baches. Ligar Bay resident Garth Bray had written to the board asking for their assistance in clarifying the longer-term future of the baches on public land on the beachfront. The council has granted the bach owners licences to occupy the public land until the end of March 2014.
Mr Kennedy explained that the Ligar Bay baches are not the only ones occupying public land in the district and that any actions taken on their behalf might have ramifications elsewhere. “Landowners in Ligar Bay have paid pretty good money for their sections,” he said. “The bach-owners have had access to very valuable land at well below market rates.”
“There’s a perception that we got our baches for next-to-nothing and that we pay next-to-nothing to be there,” said Mr Bray. “That’s not true.”
The board decided to organise a public meeting and to canvass the opinions of absentee landowners to find out how the community – in Ligar Bay and beyond – feels about the issue.
Neil Wilson
