The Property Council New Zealand Otago chapter is calling for a 20% reduction in Dunedin City Council staff among a raft of measures the council could use to get to a 0% rates rise.
Selling council-controlled City Forests Ltd, liquidating the Waipori Fund and ‘‘basically stripping the council down to essential services with about 20% less staff’’ were all important steps to keep the council solvent, executive member Oakwood Properties director David Marsh suggested during this week’s annual plan hearings.
The property council also advocated the city council taking advantage of the Government’s reinstatement of depreciation deductions for commercial and industrial buildings.
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I don't know who or what the property council are but I support the reduction in size and reach of DCC also. All week I have read articles about people, organisations and trusts asking for handouts from the ratepayers. Money for theaters, golfers, cyclists, fences, old warehouses, street beautification, pedestrianisation, buses, trains as well as land for cricket and a position at the council for a market manager! All worthy causes I'm sure but right now most ratepayers can not afford it. We need to get back to what is most important, prioritise, consolidate, recover and make sure we are in strong position for when the next crisis hits Dunedin.
I agree. Redundancy, efficiency and productivity are not current tools in the local government toolbox. Time for the Mayor and his closest allies, including Cr Benson Pope to stop pretending they can buy and borrow themselves out of an economic crisis, a significant amount of which is their own making and going to happen anyway. Covid simply shortened the time frame. We need some clear thinking and hard heads if this City is to survive in some form. Townhall lacks such authority and leadership to deliver. We need to change the rules, dump the Mayor and embrace reality.
There are certainly newly created positions within the DCC that need to go however wholesale slashing would most likely result in these political positions remaining and valued jobs lost.
However there are far to many salaries over 100k which is totally out of sync with average city incomes. These could do with a haircut. If they don’t like it, they would be most welcome to find other employment.
Usually, property interests have an eye on selling Social Housing. Ratepayers are not Council tenants.