The door is ajar for the controversial councillor to make a pitch to the council’s finance and performance committee.
However, obstacles appear to be significant.
‘‘Unless Cr Ong can provide a cogent summary of his much-repeated innovative funding solutions for DCC interest costs ... in writing, we are not prepared to spend any more time listening to his repeated vague claims of an innovation plan that has no substance,’’ the two people chairing the committee, Cr Lee Vandervis and deputy mayor Cherry Lucas, said.
Those interest costs were planned to be about $1million a week for most years in the 2025-34 long-term plan, they noted in an email sent by Cr Vandervis.
Cr Ong’s proposals failed to meet council obligations under the Local Government Act 2002, as well as required accounting and audit standards, they said.
Crs Vandervis and Lucas said suggestions the international banking system might carry the council’s debt ‘‘with no interest charge, and at other times his suggesting a long delay on interest charges that could reduce rates short-term, but be charged accumulated interest costs much later, again make no sense in the real world of finance’’.
Nonetheless, they said Cr Ong’s concept could be included on the committee agenda in May, or sooner.
‘‘Cr Ong is welcome to send us his written proposal or PowerPoint, by email.’’
Cr Ong campaigned for election around phrases such as ‘‘first-of-its-kind financial innovation to reduce our debt interest expenses’’ and ‘‘Ben has a secret recipe on how to freeze rates rises’’.
He has since struggled as a new councillor and his behaviour has been under fire.
In an email last week, Cr Ong said he appreciated the support of Cr Russell Lund in requesting a public workshop regarding debt financing.
‘‘I request that this can be organised soonest possible to seek to prevent the upcoming 10.5% rate rise proposed to our community,’’ Cr Ong said.
Cr Andrew Simms was initially supportive of a workshop, but later accepted the finance and performance committee would be more appropriate.
Crs Vandervis and Lucas said they would have welcomed Cr Ong presenting proposals at this month’s committee meeting had he attended.
Cr Ong did not register an apology for not turning up, they noted.
They highlighted various facts about credit ratings and said Cr Ong’s indications of innovation had so far taken ‘‘an unnecessarily long amount of committee time to explain’’.
Cr Steve Walker said he agreed with their overview.
