At an Otago Regional Council meeting this week, councillors discussed next year’s annual plan.
The plan would deliver a nil rates increase, well down from the 8.7% rate increase predicted.
Cr Michael Laws said though staff had to be congratulated for delivering the nil rate rise, he still had concerns.
He was bemused about the planned large-scale environment fund which, he said, was for grand and random ideas which had not yet been formed.
But he pointed out the poor performance of the pest management plan, which was not being done well.
‘‘We are not doing our job when it comes to the pests who have been besetting our environment for years, even decades. We do not even measure if we have an effective pest plan,’’ he said.
‘‘We do not even know what we are doing. We just rate for what we are doing.’’
He also criticised the commitment to manu whenua by the council, which does not follow the law and gives unbridled power for non-elected officials.
Cr Laws also criticised the plan for producing dated financial figures, which did not take into account the rise in fuel prices.
Cr Kate Wilson said she took exception to Cr Laws’ comments, saying as he was a portfolio lead, he had the power to take action. She said Cr Laws had also added action around lagarosiphon elimination into a priority for council, but there was no budget for it. It was just about sound bites without caring what the actions were, she said. She was really, really concerned with those actions.
Cr Andrew Noone said he was not going to criticise Cr Laws until he spoke.
‘‘But the suggestion, which is ludicrous, that we don’t monitor our pest plan, is a joke,’’ Cr Noone said.
‘‘We report to the biosecurity minister on an annual basis about achieving our objectives of our pest plan. That is the requirement. That is the law.
‘‘That [Cr Laws’ claim] is just a joke.
‘‘Everyone should go out and tell their friends that it is not correct what Michael Laws said at this council meeting.’’
Cr Laws attempted to talk while Cr Noone was speaking, but was told to stop by council chairwoman Hillary Calvert.
