The Otago Regional Council’s significant staffing and rates increases over the past half-decade were under the spotlight at a slightly tense candidates’ evening yesterday.
More than 60 people attended the event at St Peter’s Church in Hillside Rd, with candidates fielding a range of questions about everything from the bus service to the cost of protecting floodplains, but a repeated theme throughout the night was whether ORC’s consistent rates rises and attendant staff increases were justified.
The regional council passed a budget for next year with a 5.5% average rates increase, but this comes after several years of double-digit increases.
Hilary Calvert said there had been very little visible improvement in many areas, despite a doubling of staff.
She believed the regional council was in urgent need of reform and she wanted to see "real rates decreases".
Cr Elliot Weir said there was a genuine need to listen to the community’s aspirations, but also be wary of candidates who "tell us they're going to reduce the rates without telling us how".
Phil Glassie said successive councils had kicked the can down the road, and people were now paying for "environmental malpractice".
Chanel Gardner said the council needed to focus on "positive climate action" with "real outcomes".
Cr Alan Somerville agreed there was the opportunity for local government reform of how things were charged, but said there were some things, such as public transport, air quality and wilding pine control that "we must spend money on now" or face "serious" consequences for the health of the environment.
All candidates agreed more needed to be done to make Dunedin’s bus hub safer.
There was much grumbling and interjecting from the floor from members of the public throughout the meeting.
