Cr Perkins started his short, at times self-deprecating, valedictory speech lamenting the council's lack of a responsible cat ownership bylaw, the cancellation of the $7 million cultural facilities redevelopment project, and its over-remunerated company directors and ''seriously under-remunerated'' community board members.
He also said while the Alps 2 Ocean Cycle Trail had put the district on the map - it was not an unqualified success.
Another looming tourism project - the Waitaki Whitestone Geopark - could face similar pitfalls.
''It has to be acknowledged that original plans to make the [Alps 2 Ocean Cycle Trail] self-funding have failed to bear fruit. Some entrepreneurs along the trail are struggling to establish sustainable businesses. And ratepayers will be picking up the tab for a long time, maybe forever . . . This only increases my concern about the open-ended commitment we are continuing to make to the geopark, with an almost laughable business validation case, but in the absence of a robust business plan.''
