At a council meeting this week, the council outlined in a draft letter of expectation it will send to Port Otago around its statement of intent that it was asking the port to take over the annual $350,000 contribution the council made to the Otago Southland Rescue Trust.
ORC deputy chairman Kevin Malcolm said he had spoken to Port Otago chairman Tim Gibson and told him any issues around the sponsorship would be resolved and the money would be paid for the 2026-27 year. The Port Otago contribution would be seen as gold sponsorship of the trust. The Otago Regional Council is the sole shareholder of Port Otago.
Cr Gary Kelleher sounded a note of caution that the letter to the port company needed to have an additional paragraph if the planned donation from the port did not come about.
‘‘There might be difficulties between them. We may have viewed that donation as a very straightforward payment to the trust — easy for us and all they had to do was come along and thank us. That is their bread and butter and they are very thankful for it,’’ he said.
Cr Kelleher said there was some uncertainty around the regional council at present with the local government changes and the port was in the same situation.
Cr Kelleher gained support for a paragraph to be added to the letter explaining if an arrangement between the helicopter trust and the port could not be arrived at then responsibility for the financial support of the trust would be returned to the regional council.
That would give more certainty to the trust. The rescue helicopter service was very much appreciated, he said.
‘‘In all my time of being a councillor, through elections and sessions with the community I have never met one ratepayer who has not supported us and our contribution to the rescue service,’’ Cr Kelleher said.
He said the trust ran on a very tight budget, and all members were volunteers. He did not want to burden them with extra work.
Cr Malcolm said the goal was about reducing the burden for ratepayers. Ratepayers were paying for something a commercial body should be paying for, he said.
Chairwoman Hilary Calvert said if the new sponsorship did not happen the council would be looking to the port company to provide the funds to the council to pay the sponsorship.
She had confidence it would go ahead.
The additional paragraph was passed with Cr Malcolm and Cr Alan Somerville voting against.
