The Otago Regional Council plans to spend more than $20 million on staff next year as it adds scores of new workers to its ranks.
Council chief executive Sarah Gardner said the 2020-21 draft annual plan budget of $75,494,000 next year includes $20,630,087 in salaries — an increase of $3,649,432 over this year’s $16,980,655.
The council would add 38.1 full-time equivalent positions (FTE) to its staff of 208 permanent and fixed-term staff, moving from a budgeted 203.2 FTEs to 241.3 FTEs.
Later this month the council will begin public consultation on its annual plan, which follows a Prof Peter Skelton Ministry for the Environment-backed report that showed years of underinvestment.
‘‘Our 2020-21 Annual Plan recognises that we have urgent work to do, and that ORC has not been adequately resourced in the past. This lack of resource was a theme of the consents function review that we commissioned in late 2018, and in Prof Skelton’s report last year on our capacity to resolve deemed permits,’’ Mrs Gardner said. ‘‘We have been implementing and accelerating the recommendations of these reports, and responding to our community’s desire for ORC to do more. We are increasing our resource in science and policy, and expanding our state of the environment monitoring programme.’’
She could not say this week how salary increases would affect council spending, as the council’s remuneration policy involved salary reviews.
Salary reviews took into account the council’s ability to pay, market data, individual performance, position in range, and ‘‘internal relativities’’, she said.
The council is proposing a rates rise of 9.1% as it adds nearly $8 million to its budget.
To cover the spending without a major rates impact it said it would ask for $2 million more than it had planned to from Port Otago, upping the dividend the company would pay out from a planned $8.1 million to $10.1 million and take $4 million from its reserves.
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$20m+ for more staff to spend our rates on projects most do not want. Local councils are going mad with empire building using the power of taxation to justify their existence. FYI, I use zero ORC "services", and do not intend ever, but are forced to pay- in my book that is "the*t".
So what is the plan, other than to create more jobs and increase rates?
What will these new employees be doing?
Where will they work from?
Is the ORC still looking for a new office block or has the $10m spent so far just been written off?
Wow! Bureaucracy is alive and doing rather well at ORC,but its very expensive bureaucracy indeed...
The figures show that the last 7 or so years of council has worked and is now the elevated Dunedin to the top of performance in NZ. That takes bucks and lots of them, we get it back with higher wages and a more stable economy.
??? What article are you reading? And can you please tell me where I can buy the rose tinted glasses you read the ODT with?
Geez Kezza, do you not look beyond the crater? The whole country has seen increased growth. The last 7 years has nothing to do with council performance. In fact, Dunedin got caught up in the economy vacuum, so did Whanganui, Gisbourne, Invercargill, Whangarei, to name a few. Houses here have been cheap for years, well behind other main centres. Finally, the 'outside world' has seen Dunedin for being cheap. If Dunedin city relied solely on the DCC and ORC for growth, we'd be knackered! Our governance here is one of the most arrogant, closed shop, poorly planned organisations a New Zealand city could ever have the misfortune to experience. I'm appalled at what goes on behind the doors of 'power' in this city. I stay here only for the natural beauty of the region. However, the beauty is slowly becoming overpowered by poor governance. The planning here is a nightmare of 'spur of the moment ideas'. Where's the business hub Kezza? Other than internet tech, nothing here......just more damned computers.
Yep, those rose tinted glasses are doing you wonders Kezza !
As for ORC increasing staff, the spending is obscene, and the lower to middle class ratepayer is set for a huge kicking.