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Governing Body
28 September
2017
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Budget to
conduct by-elections
File No.: CP2017/19734
Purpose
1. To
approve additional budget for by-elections following the New Zealand general
election on 23 September 2017.
Executive
summary
2. The
2017 General Election took place on 23 September 2017. Two Auckland Council
elected members stood as electorate or list candidates and were successful:
Denise Lee, Councillor for Maungakiekie-Tāmaki and Simeon Brown, Manurewa
Local Board Member. If they resign their position on the Auckland Council it
will create a vacancy. The Local Electoral Act 2001 requires elections to be
held to fill the vacancies.
3. This
paper requests additional operating budget of $228,000 to cover the costs of
these by-elections.
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Recommendation/s
That the Governing Body:
a) approve
an additional operating budget of $228,000 in the 2017/2018 financial year to
conduct two by-elections
b) note
that this unbudgeted expenditure will be included in the next budget update
report to the Finance and Performance Committee.
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Comments
4. Preliminary
results for the 2017 general election indicate that the following members have
been successfully elected to Parliament: Denise Lee, Councillor for
Maungakiekie-Tāmaki and Simeon Brown, Manurewa Local Board Member.
5. Auckland
Council elected members are not required by legislation to resign their
position on the council if they are elected to Parliament. However if they do
so then this will trigger a by-election and staff need budget approval from the
Governing Body now to be able to start planning.
Estimated costs
6. The
estimated costs of the by-elections are set out below.
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By-election area
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Estimate
(Election Services)
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Estimate
(Communications)
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Maungakiekie-Tāmaki
Ward
(approx. 49,000)
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$90,000
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$20,000
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Manurewa
Local Board
(approx. 56,000)
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$95,000
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$23,000
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Total
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$185,000
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$43,000
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7. These
costs are based on an:
· estimate
provided by the council’s election services provider, Independent
Election Services Limited, for managing and processing votes based on the
number of electors
· estimate
of costs related to communications, marketing and ballot box management.
8. Independent
Election Services Limited estimates are based on a 30 percent voter turnout.
Final costs will depend on actual number of voter returns.
Funding
9. By-elections
are unbudgeted. There is no opportunity in the current financial year to absorb
costs within existing budgets.
10. Staff ask
that the Governing Body approve an additional operating budget of
$228,000.
Consideration
Local
board views and implications
11. The Manurewa
Local Board will be affected through the potential vacancy occurring in its
area and a new members being elected.
Māori
impact statement
12. The 2016
local government election arrangements for recognising Māori will apply to
this by-election. These arrangements include provision for using Te Reo
Māori in candidate profile statements.
Implementation
13. Budgets will
be amended in core financial systems and will be used for internal management
reporting, regular reporting to council committees and financial control for
the 2017/2018 financial year.
Attachments
There are no attachments for
this report.
Signatories
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Author
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Marguerite Delbet - General Manager Democracy Services
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Authorisers
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Phil Wilson - Governance Director
Stephen Town - Chief Executive
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