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Resolution
number HM/2017/64
MOVED by Member B Brady, seconded by Member W Flaunty:
That the Henderson-Massey Local Board:
a)
Agrees
the final 2017/2018
LDI funding
envelopes:
Total Local Community Services
$1,480,000
Total Local Parks, Sports and Recreation
$212,000
Total Local Environment Development
$152,000
Total Local Planning and Development
$47, 000
b) agrees
their advocacy initiatives for inclusion in the 2017/2018 Local Board
Agreement as following:
i)
Strategic land purchase for recreation purposes:
Advocate to ensure
provision of a swimming pool, sports fields and local community facilities to
service the rapidly expanding NorthWest area including Red Hills.
ii)
More people living in Henderson
Resource
Panuku to effectively work in partnership with appropriate Council
departments and external stakeholders for regeneration and successful
residential growth in Henderson.
c) agrees Strategic land purchase for recreation purposes is the key
priority for the organisation to work on.
d) provides
the following views on the annual budget regional financial policy
consultation issues:
i. Rates increase - The Henderson-Massey Local Board supports retaining the previously
planned 3.5% average rates increase noting that:
·
future infrastructure provision must be adequately resourced to
enable successful community outcomes when growth occurs. Like many
others, this Board is poised to welcome thousands of new residents,
particularly in growth areas of the North-west, and without proper resourcing
we may embed structural problems that would be difficult and expensive to
retro-fit in the future.
·
investigation of diversifying income streams beyond residential
and commercial ratepayers is encouraging.
·
the board supports investigation of mechanisms to vary the rates
burden for example rebate or delay for first home buyers.
·
the board sees this option as the only way Council can be
financially prudent, as it would be difficult to ensure our borrowings ratio
maintains an AAA rating. Loss of that rating would have significant
onflow, and it would be irresponsible to burden future ratepayers with the
consequences of those effects.
·
it is Important that communication with ratepayers continues to
identify positive benefits and services provided to every household
ii. Rating stability - Henderson-Massey Local Board supports changing the policy so
business and residential ratepayers have the same increase in 2017/2018
noting that:
·
there should be greater central government redistribution of
funding collected in Auckland to be returned to Auckland, given our uniquely
high growth future and importance to the national economy.
iii. Paying for tourism promotion - Henderson-Massey Local Board supports funding with a targeted
rate on accommodation providers noting that:
·
the principle of using a targeted rate is supported as it is a
simple way to collect the revenue, with minimal collection costs.
·
despite supporting the collection, the benefits to the
Henderson-Massey area relative to costs of its resident businesses are
unclear.
·
the board believes that coverage should be universal, and notes
that Air BnB businesses may not be covered by the targeted rate, creating a
market distortion.
·
the board also supports continued advocacy to central government
for a more nuanced means of collection, such as taxes on overseas visitors.
iv. Paying for housing infrastructure - Henderson-Massey Local Board supports Council’s proposal for
investigation noting that:
·
the board is concerned that it may not assist in equality of
access to services and those who afford it get immediate access. There is a
structural risk that in planning for the decades to come, such a proposal may
result in a widening of inequality between areas of the city.
·
the board appreciates the approach of looking for alternative funding
sources and would support further investigation of different mechanisms.
v. Paying Council staff a living wage -
Henderson-Massey
Local Board
support implementing a living wage policy for Auckland Council staff and its
substantive CCOs noting that:
·
Auckland Council should be seen as leaders in the community and
in the business world as a good employer. Implementation of a living
wage has obvious benefits for the workers, but also assists with positive
perceptions of Auckland Council as a whole.
·
the Living Wage policy will have a disproportionately positive
effect for Maori and Pacific workers, and also will provide benefits in
gender pay equality.
e) recommends
the carry forward of $4,500 2016/2017 LDI
opex - Migrant Business Support (ATEED) to 2017/2018.
f)
allocate a further $12,000 grant from LDI community response opex
2016/2017 to Kakano/UNITEC for the design and installation of window film
over the glass walls of the Henderson Train Station Skybridge to enable
greater detail design and further coverage in this space.
j)
noting that this additional grant is added to the 18 April grant for $8,000
(resolution number HM/2017/57), making a total grant of $20,000 to
Kakano/Unitec for this initiative.
CARRIED
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