The new councillor has so far struggled to get traction for his ideas, but it appears arrangements are being worked on for him to at least prepare a pitch.
‘‘Our focus is on working with all councillors to deliver the best outcomes for our community, and this will include meeting with Cr Ong after the Easter break to discuss any information staff may be able to provide to support his presentation,’’ a council spokesman said yesterday.
Cr Ong has argued a proposed rates rise of 10.5% is preventable through innovative debt structuring and other changes, such as getting better returns from the Waipori investment fund.
The Otago Daily Times reported this week the door was ajar for the controversial councillor to make a pitch to the council’s finance and performance committee regarding debt.
However, the people who chair that committee, Cr Lee Vandervis and deputy mayor Cherry Lucas, have said Cr Ong should first provide a cogent summary and his previous suggestions ‘‘make no sense in the real world of finance’’.
‘‘Cr Ong is welcome to send us his written proposal or PowerPoint, by email.’’
In February, the ODT reported council chief executive Sandy Graham had changed Cr Ong’s access to the Civic Centre and she said she needed to put temporary measures in place to ensure a safe work space for staff.
The council said yesterday the health and safety assessment was ongoing and interim access restrictions remained in place for Cr Ong for now.
