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Resolution
number WTK/2020/59
MOVED
by Chairperson G Presland, seconded by Deputy Chairperson S Toms:
That the Waitākere
Ranges Local Board provides the following feedback to the Governing Body on
the proposed Emergency Budget 2020/2021.
Budget Consultation
Response
a)
We support the proposed 3.5% rates increase option (noting this
was already the agreed increase for this year in the Long-term Plan) to
ensure continued delivery of core Council services such as libraries, parks,
and community facilities which are highly valued by our local communities. We
consider that a 2.5% increase would have a catastrophic effect on local
communities and result in the loss of core services, which are essential and
highly valued.
b)
We oppose the reduction in the share that businesses pay of the
total rates take and believe the burden will fall unfairly on residential
ratepayers.
c)
We request an urgent review of the underlying emergency budget
assumptions as we have come out of the lockdown period better and earlier
than predicted. There’s a need to focus on recovery, wellbeing,
investment, and employment.
d)
We support the rates postponement policy for households and
businesses suffering financial hardship, provided the cost of the
postponement does not cause further financial hardship to the applicants.
e)
We support the suspension of the targeted rate paid for by
accommodation providers.
Community Services
f)
The approach of requiring savings from all areas of Council
undermines the principles outlined in the Emergency Budget 2020/2021,
particularly the principles of protecting the most vulnerable, supporting our
communities, Māori outcomes and climate change. Some funding allocations
deliver against all of these principles far more than others.
g)
Local Driven Initiatives (LDI) funding is required to provide
important community support, which is especially vital in the COVID-19
rebuild. Cuts to LDI will impact significantly on communities and we do
not support any decrease.
Glen Eden Town Centre
Upgrade
h)
Glen Eden is currently undergoing rapid change. We
therefore request funding to complete the business case for Glen Eden town
centre regeneration be reinstated in the 2020/2021 budget so the upgrade may
be considered as part of the Long-Term Plan. The sum required for the
business case is $250,000.
Environment
i)
We consider that environmental projects and programmes need to
be given priority. Our local board is the home of the Waitakere Ranges
Heritage Area, an area of national significance. Since the inception of
Auckland Council, we have noticed that until the introduction of the targeted
environmental rate there had been a gradual reduction in the quality of the
environment and associated spend.
j)
Deferring action in the environmental space will accelerate
decline and goes against the intent of the collection of the targeted
rate. Underinvestment in the environment since amalgamation has seen an
accelerated reduction in environmental quality. Council’s own advice is
that even with the level of targeted rate, expenditure in the environment
space, the rate we are moving towards species extinctions is only slowed, not
halted. Aucklanders have agreed to pay extra rates (the National
Environmental Targeted Rate (NETR) and the Water Quality Targeted Rate (WQTR))
to address this underinvestment.
k)
Continue to use the NETR and WQTR rates for the purposes that
they were collected for and deliver projects in 2020/2021 and not defer
projects that should be carried out. Underspends from previous years should
be used to achieve environmental outcomes and support volunteer work.
Council needs to continue to protect and enhance the heritage area and
coasts.
l)
We support reinstatement and retention of NETR funded community
grants for environmental purposes and believe that reliable funding is
critical for the continuation of community based environmental activity in
line with Council’s Empowered Communities Approach.
m)
Controlling weeds and animal pests is core work of Council and
deferral of activity in these programmes will mean that it is more expensive
(if possible) to recover. Ecological weeds and pests are very expensive to
control, and then will expand if control is not maintained.
n)
Weed and pest projects in the Waitākere Ranges Local Board
area present bounteous "shovel ready" environmental restoration
projects supporting employment initiatives. Basic maintenance of roads
and paths and the creation of walkways and cycleways provide the ability to
create employment quickly.
o)
There is high community interest in access to the
Waitākere Ranges and the local board oppose any delays in track upgrades
which protect Kauri. Kauri dieback monitoring and compliance protection of
kauri is important for our communities and our regions ecology.
p)
The local board supports community feedback given in additional
comments to the Emergency Budget that the proposed new bridge at Kitekite
Falls not proceed.
Climate Change
q)
Despite the fact that climate change was not a topic for
consultation, a significant number of submitters have indicated it should be
treated with utmost priority. We submit that Council must stay true to its
promise to prioritise climate action.
r)
Auckland has a limited time to significantly cut the output of
greenhouse gasses if we are to meet the target of no more than 1.5 degrees
temperature increase. We consider that there should be no slowdown of
programmes designed to improve sustainability, especially walking, and
cycling infrastructure projects, electric vehicle infrastructure and the
provision of public transport services.
Transport
s)
We oppose the proposed deferral of community safety transport
projects, and request Auckland Transport/Auckland Council prioritise the Glen
Eden pedestrian safety project to upgrade West Coast Road. This has been 75
per cent funded by Waka Kotahi NZ Transport Agency.
t)
We believe that the Auckland Transport Local Board Transport
Capital Fund (LBTCF) is crucial for delivering local projects, which local
communities need, but may not meet criteria for regional prioritisation. An
interim reduction to this funding in the Emergency Budget is accepted, as
long the full funding, including deferred entitlements, continues to be
available to local boards in the remainder of the term as part of the Long-Term
Plan.
u)
We oppose the use of traffic enforcement for revenue
generation. We also oppose charging for park and ride and note
that much of the Waitākere Ranges Local Board area is not served by
public transport at all.
Living Wage
v)
We support Council being a Living Wage employer for directly
employed staff and staff employed by Council contractors and this commitment
should not be deferred due to COVID-19 pressures.
America’s Cup
w)
We oppose Council’s continued investment in the
America’s Cup event at a time when core Council services are likely to
be cut, and investment deferred on projects that would directly benefit
communities across Auckland. The local response also raised concerns
about the cost of the regatta.
Panuku
x)
We oppose the sales of Council properties purely for the
purpose of COVID-19 revenue generation as well as any streamlining of the
process and timing that would minimise or remove local board involvement in
the decision-making process.
y)
We are against wholesale asset sales because they mostly result
in the transfer of wealth to private ownership and the loss of the public
benefit of ownership. A healthy asset base actually gives the
organisation resilience and a base to borrow against. We believe that
historically privatisations have been to the detriment of public finances and
the public good.
Animal Shelters
z)
We oppose the centralisation of animal control and shelters
which would require the public and enforcement officers to travel large
distances with injured or lost animals.
Ongoing Fiscal Considerations
aa)
Asset Based Services (ABS) provide funding for core Council
services, which are crucial to the health and wellbeing of communities. These
includes swimming pools, parks, recreation facilities and libraries. A
reduction in ABS funding now requires local boards to reduce opening hours
for these services and make other cost savings to programmes. In the post
COVID-19 recovery period, some members of the community will need to rely
more on these facilities than others. An equal distribution of cuts across
areas does not consider equity issues such as deprivation, necessity of use,
access, or demographics.
bb)
We are concerned that the cuts and concessions being made to
local funding and local board work programmes as part of the Emergency Budget
will become the baseline for future years. It is crucial that thorough
considerations and assessments, which could not happen during the Emergency
Budget development, be part of the development of the next Long-Term Plan and
that local boards remain a key part of that.
CARRIED
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