A report to Tuesday’s council meeting shows Mayor Sophie Barker has appointed Cr Simms as chairman of the Dunedin City Council’s newly reformed grants subcommittee.
Second-term councillor Mandy Mayhem will serve as deputy chairwoman.
Councillors narrowly voted to reinstate a subcommittee to assess and approve grant applications last week — supporters hailed its return as a win for community input, while opponents felt it distanced elected members from funding decisions.
The vote followed dismay from community groups in November after a subcommittee was not included in Ms Barker’s governance system.
One mana whenua representative and two community representatives will be appointed to the new subcommittee. Deputy mayor Cherry Lucas and councillors John Chambers and Mickey Treadwell will round out elected member representatives.
Last week, councillors also delegated decision-making for grants of $5000 or less to council staff.
Their decisions would be noted at subcommittee meetings.
Following Tuesday’s meeting, mana whenua will be invited to nominate a representative. A expression of interest process will seek community representatives, who will be selected by the subcommittee’s elected members.
A recommendation will then be reported to the council for approval.
