Waipā council meetings will move to Wednesdays and the spending limit lifted for the mayor and committee chairs to $10 million in more “behind closed doors” decisions expected to be rubber stamped by councillors in public this week.
The newly elected Waipa council had its first meeting in Te Awamutu. File photo.
Debate on staff proposals was scheduled to take 15 minutes yesterday (Wednesday), but the council advertised its intentions around meeting days in The News last week.
David Mackenzie
February Strategic Planning and Policy, workshop and briefing days, Service Delivery, Finance and Corporate and council meetings were advertised as being held on Wednesdays even though it required councillor approval yesterday.
Contracts of up to $10 million – in the case of urgency – are to be delegated to mayor Susan O’Regan and committee chairs Clare St Pierre, Liz Stolwyk, Andrew Brown and Marcus Gower.
Sources are concerned the limit could result in decisions made without public scrutiny and cite the Cambridge Water Tower as an example of a demolition contract which could be let under those rules.
Jo Gread
In an email to the council, editor Roy Pilott said the meeting and agenda moves came “as a bolt out of the blue” to the newspaper which counts local body reporting as a cornerstone of its coverage.
“The ramifications for more than 24,000 Waipā households who rely on (publisher) Good Local Media …. will be significant,” he said.
“Our deadline is Tuesday afternoon, and your proposal will prevent us from publishing news about decisions in print for eight days.”
In response Waipā chief executive Steph O’Sullivan said the initiative came after significant research and elected member/staff feedback.
Steph O’Sullivan
“The intention is to strengthen and support best practice governance of council.”
Pilott said the proposal presents a “major threat” to the business at a time when Stuff and NZME were closing community newspapers and reducing staff numbers.
Publisher David Mackenzie said it was one of many challenges he had been confronted with in recent years which included increased transport, distribution, print and staff costs.
Good Local Media publishes community newspapers in Cambridge, Te Awamutu and King Country and monthly Waikato business and rural newspapers.
Roy Pilott
“We take our role in serving our communities seriously,” he said.
“Other publishers close papers, we work around the issues. We’re not quitters, it will mean doing things differently and adapting but we are not able to move any deadlines.
“We’re committed to print because it is what our readers and advertisers say they want.”
In her report to council, Governance manager Jo Gread said the move would ensure a focused workplace, efficiency of staff time and council resources, clear alignment with the calendar year and a commitment to strategic, effective and focused decision-making.
Information-only reports, which The News often uses as the basis to news stories, will be delivered via an alternative method to a committee agenda.
They will be provided to councillors via email and The News assumes by more council-produced media releases.
“Where relevant and appropriate, any such information will be considered for publication on council’s website to ensure full transparency,” she said.
The housing subcommittee, which deals with pensioner and affordable housing issues, was to be disbanded while a new Road Closure subcommittee was to be established.
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