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STRATEGY AND RESOURCES COMMITTEE
15 APRIL 1996
A meeting of the Strategy and Resources Committee
was held on Monday 15 April 1996 at 4.00 p.m.
PRESENT: Councillor David Close (Chairman),
The Mayor,
Councillors Oscar Alpers, Carole Evans,
Pat Harrow, Ian Howell, Alister James,
Garry Moore, Margaret Murray,
Denis O'Rourke and Ron Wright. IN ATTENDANCE: Councillors Ishwar Ganda and Charles Manning. Councillor Murray retired at 6.00 p.m. and was
present for clauses 1, 2, 5, 7, 11.1 and 12. Councillor Alpers retired temporarily from the
meeting at 6.45 p.m., returned at 6.50 p.m. and
was present for all clauses except 14 and 15. Councillor Howell retired at 7.05 p.m. and was
present for all clauses except clauses 6 and 10. The Committee reports that: PART A - MATTERS REQUIRING A COUNCIL DECISION
1. CAMPAIGN EXPENDITURE IN LOCAL ELECTIONS RR 2631
Officer Responsible Author Returning Officer Max Robertson Corporate Plan Output: Elections1. INTRODUCTION
The Internal Affairs Department has released a public discussion document on the possibility of imposing statutory limits on election expenditure of local authority candidates. Copies of the discussion document have previously been circulated to all Councillors. In an accompanying letter, the department invites comment from councils, councillors and as wide a range of other people and organisations as possible who have an interest in local elections. Submissions close on 15 May 1996. The document covers a wide range of issues, including uniform and differential limits, authorisation of expenditure, enforcement of expenditure limits and multiple candidacy. 1 Cont'd 2. BACKGROUND
This issue seems to have come to the fore since the creation of the larger units of local government resulting from the 1989 reforms. Interest in the possible imposition of statutory limits on election expenditure quickened following the 1992 elections, resulting in the formation of a government appointed working party to examine the issue. However, little progress was made by the working party. The release of the present document provides an opportunity to influence central government policy on whether or not there should be limits on such expenditure, and what if any form such limits should take. 3. COMMENT
My own experience as a Returning Officer for large, medium and small local authorities indicates that even with the larger units of local government now in existence, any difficulties in this area are limited to the major metropolitan areas, where there is greater competition for the available positions, with funding from party sources being provided for candidates standing on party tickets. In the smaller rural authorities, it is still common for candidates to be elected unopposed. As Returning Officer, it is appropriate that I take a neutral stance on this issue. However, the questions raised in the discussion document were considered by the Legislation Subcommittee on 26 March 1996 when the Subcommittee resolved that the attached draft submissions be submitted for the Council's consideration: The Chairman advises that since this issue was considered by the Legislation Subcommittee, an article has appeared in a local newspaper advising that the following limits will be applied to expenditure by candidates standing in Parliamentary electorates under MMP: 1. Basic maximum, per electorate $20,000
2. Registered parties $1M maximum
= per electorate $16,600
3. Individual candidate maximum $20,000
---------
$56,600
===== Assuming an average population of 58,000 for each Parliamentary electorate, this formula results in a maximum of approximately 98 cents per person. The Chairman considers that this figure indicates that the formula recommended by the Legislation Subcommittee in respect of local authority elections is reasonable, in that it would result in the following current maxima in the case of Christchurch, assuming an average population of 25,000 per ward:
1 Cont'd Mayor 15 cents per head
Councillor 29 cents per head
Community Board member 11 cents per head
4. BILL INTRODUCED BY RICHARD NORTHEY MP
Since this report was first drafted a Bill (tabled) providing for limits on campaign spending for local elections has unexpectedly been introduced into Parliament by Richard Northey, MP. Submissions on the Bill close on 4 June 1996. The Legislation Subcommittee has considered the Bill and the Legal Services Manager has prepared the attached draft submissions, which are now submitted for the Council's approval.
5. CIRCULATION OF CANDIDATES' BIOGRAPHICAL MATERIAL WITH VOTING PAPERS
At its meeting on 26 March 1996 the Legislation Subcommittee was advised by the Legal Services Manager that the Local Government Association had suggested a possible change in the legislation, to allow a thumbnail sketch of candidates accompanied by a photograph to be circulated with the voting papers for future elections. The Subcommittee recommends that the Council support such a proposal, provided that the information on each candidate is limited to purely factual details such as age, experience, occupation and party affiliation. Recommendation: 1. That the draft submissions prepared by the Legislation Subcommittee be endorsed as the Council's submissions on the discussion document and on the Bill introduced by Mr Richard Northey be approved. 2. That the Council support the proposed change to the legislation outlined in 5 above, provided that the information on each candidate is limited to purely factual details such as age, experience, occupation and party affiliation.
2. CHRISTCHURCH CITY ELECTIONS RR 2632
Officer Responsible Author Returning Officer Max Robertson Corporate Plan Output: Elections1. INTRODUCTION At a recent Annual Plan meeting of the Strategy and Resources Committee Councillor O'Rourke asked that I report back on: * A suggestion that the Council should be more proactive in publicising and facilitating enrolment of electors prior to local body elections.
2 Cont'd * The design of the voting paper, and whether the double-sided voting paper used in the 1995 elections could have been a contributing factor to the high level of informal votes for the Community Board and Regional Council issues. 2. ELECTORAL ROLL Prior to 1986 the Principal Administrative Officer of each authority prepared a local roll after due inquiry. Entry on a parliamentary roll was not directly relevant, but could be the basis for a special vote where the voter's name did not appear on the local roll. Abolition of the ratepayer franchise in 1986 facilitated the use of the parliamentary roll for local elections. The franchise reform was based upon the principle of equality of natural persons under the law. However, following a change of Government, the ratepayer franchise was restored in 1991 to allow a vote to be cast by a non-resident ratepayer and a nominee for a corporate ratepayer. 3. COMPULSORY ENROLMENT The registration of a person qualified to be a parliamentary elector is compulsory, and a deliberate failure to register within one month of becoming eligible or changing districts may constitute an offence. An elector who changes address within a district is under a duty to notify the Registrar of Electors of the new address within two months. A person who marries has the option to request a change of name, but if not recorded that person may vote under their former name on the roll. Failure to notify a change of address or name does not itself result in disqualification. The Registrar of Parliamentary Electors is required to periodically inquire into the particulars of all persons on the roll for the district. Where a written inquiry notice is sent to an elector and the notice is not answered, that person's name may be removed from the roll. The names of electors who have ceased to be qualified, or reside in and are registered as electors of another district, persons who have died, or cannot be found, or are registered by mistake or error, may be removed from the roll. 4. CONFIDENTIALITY Some persons are reluctant to enrol for the reason that they do not want their name and address published. This reluctance to enrol is more marked in some wards than in others. In some instances, persons choose not to enrol because of a fear that they will be located by creditors, or other parties they wish to avoid. In other instances, people believe that having their details recorded on the printed roll could threaten their personal safety. In such cases, persons can request that their particulars be included only on an unpublished roll. Where such a request is made, the applicant is required to produce some evidence of their personal circumstances,
2 Cont'd such as a non-molestation order, a protection order or a statutory declaration from a member of the Police. Unfortunately, because the Parliamentary Registrar of Electors is unable to supply details of such enrolments to local authority returning officers, it is necessary for persons on the unpublished roll to apply for a special vote. Late last year Parliament enacted the Domestic Violence Act 1995, which is intended to provide greater protection from domestic violence. The provisions of the Act apply to all public registers administered by the Council, including electoral rolls. The Act entitles a person to apply to the Council requesting that identifying information about them held on those public registers not be made available publicly. The Council is then required to make a decision on that request. If it grants the request then it must notify the Registrar of the District Court. If the Council declines the request the requestor has the right to complain to the Privacy Commissioner. 5. ACCURACY AND REVISION OF ELECTORS' ROLLS The rolls prepared using the computer compiled lists supplied by NZ Post are much more accurate than the rolls formerly prepared by individual authorities. Prior to 1986, the rolls used by some authorities were badly out of date, although the situation was generally better in the larger authorities (such as Christchurch) where a full time staff member was usually employed to update the roll on a continuing basis. NZ Post goes to great lengths to update the accuracy of the rolls in the year of the triennial local authority elections, by: * Writing personally to each enrolled elector, asking them to check the accuracy of their enrolment details. * Advertising in the print media and on television and setting up an 0800 number for hotline enrolment enquiries. Persons permanently changing their address usually (but not always) submit a "change of address" card to NZ Post. In such cases, NZ Post automatically alters that person's address on the electoral roll where the new address is within the same Parliamentary electorate. Where the new address is in a different electorate, NZ Post holds the change of address notice for the required five weeks, and then invites the person concerned to submit a fresh enrolment form for the new electorate. The Returning Officer also takes steps to encourage new and revised enrolments by inserting prominent public advertisements and issuing news releases inviting residents to inspect the "preliminary" rolls which are on display prior to the elections at City Council service centres, public libraries and NZ Post outlets and inserting enrolment pleas in the "City Scene". Some candidates were found to be not enrolled when their nomination forms were checked during the lead up to the 1995 elections.
2 Cont'd One way of further encouraging people to check their enrolment details would be to mount a door-to-door campaign by a specially appointed team of enrolment staff. However, the cost of such an exercise would be considerable, bearing in mind that it would be necessary to make most of the calls in the early evening hours to catch people at home. I propose to take the following steps to further encourage enrolment: 1. Special election editions of the "City Scene" will be distributed to: * Coincide with the period during which the preliminary roll is open for inspection. * The mailing out of the voting papers. To encourage voting by a wider variety of ethnic groups, the content of the special editions will be repeated in several languages. 2. Ask NZ Post to advertise the necessity for persons changing address to also alter their Parliamentary enrolment details so that they are properly enrolled at their new address. (As previously noted, a system is already in place to record changes in address, where a person submits a change of address card to NZ Post.) 3. Approach Southpower to (if possible) make arrangements for electricity consumers to be provided with a fresh enrolment form when they apply for a reconnection or disconnection. 6. VOTING TURNOUT AND VOTING PAPERS RETURNED
"GONE NO ADDRESS" The following schedule shows the voting turnout and number of voting papers returned marked "gone no address" in each ward at the 1995 Christchurch City elections:
Ward No. of Electors % Electors Who No. of Voting
Voted Papers Returned
Gone No Address
Burwood 17,983 50% 471
Fendalton 18,823 53% 825
Ferrymead 18,750 50% 609
Hagley 15,778 38% 1,073
Heathcote 19,212 51% 560
Papanui 19,160 52% 880
Pegasus 16,495 50% 465
Riccarton 18,462 52% 955
Shirley 17,108 45% 800
Spreydon 17,532 50% 598
Waimairi 18,518 54% 659
Wigram 18,058 50% 767
---------- ---------- ----------
215,879 49.83% 8,662
2
Cont'd
This schedule shows the wide variation in the percentage of electors who
voted within different wards, and a similar variation in the number of voting
papers returned marked "gone no address". This has always been the case,
because of the different socio-economic mix within each ward, and the fact that
in some wards (e.g. Hagley) there is a much more transient population because
of the larger number of rental units.
The following schedule shows the turnout and number of voting papers returned
marked "gone no address" in the 15 largest authorities during the 1992
local authority elections (comparable statistics for 1995 are not yet
available):
Authority Number Total Number Number Turnout Number
of Number of who (%) of GNAs
Contested Standing Electors Voted
Issues
Christchurch City 26 232 208,533 106,340 50.99 6,367
Auckland City 26 286 204,327 89,263 43.69 5,000
Manukau City 19 210 137,264 53,733 39.15 3,900
Wellington City 12 116 108,505 57,789 53.26 4,659
Dunedin City 16 97 82,243 49,975 60.77 2,910
Hamilton City 7 40 66,688 35,036 52.54 2,411
Hutt City 64,022 16,411 25.63 n/a
Tauranga District 7 43 48,087 28,403 59.07 1,003
Palmerston North 6 34 47,567 22,225 46.72 2,004
City
New Plymouth 14 74 46,611 28,648 61.46 1,125
District
Hastings District 10 37 41,107 23,590 57.39 1,000
Whangarei District 7 36 40,809 24,372 59.72 898
Rodney District 13 90 39,584 20,656 52.18 920
Rotorua District 7 46 38,309 23,402 61.09 1,176
Napier City 4 26 35,573 19,180 53.92 1,113
In 1995 the turnout in the six largest authorities was: Christchurch 50% Wellington 52% Auckland 49% Dunedin 61% Manukau 39% Hamilton 50% Considering that all the other authorities (except Manukau) had hard-fought mayoral elections, the turnout in Christchurch is nothing to be ashamed of. 7. DESIGN OF VOTING PAPER AND INFORMAL VOTES The following schedule lists the number of informal votes recorded for each issue in 1995:
2 Cont'd Mayor City Community Regional
Council Board Council
Burwood 492 712
Fendalton 661 991
Ferrymead 482 757
Hagley 458 746
Heathcote 564 1,006
Papanui 345 637
Pegasus 363 596
Riccarton 588 837
Shirley 483 1,093
Spreydon 384 671
Waimairi 518 1,119
Wigram 496 860
---------- ---------- ---------- ----------
2,100 5,834 10,025 11,970 It should be emphasised that nearly all informal voting papers are those where the elector has left the issue/s concerned completely blank, e.g. if an elector has returned a voting paper having voted only for the Mayor, then the Council, community board and regional council issues will all be classed informal on that particular voting paper. Double-sided voting papers were also used for the 1989 Christchurch City elections, and have been in general use for local authority elections for many years. Nearly all Returning Officers throughout New Zealand used double-sided papers for the 1995 elections. In 1992, only the Mayor and Council issues were included on the one voting paper, with the two remaining issues being printed on separate papers, i.e. each elector received four separate sheets of A4 paper, including the instruction sheet. Because many electors only returned the sheet containing the Mayor and Council issues in 1992 (destroying the remaining papers) it is not possible to directly compare the number of informals in 1992 and 1995. In my view, the use of double-sided as opposed to single-sided voting papers has little effect on the number of informal votes. Historically, electors have only voted for those issues where they have a particular interest or knowledge of the candidates. For this reason, many electors have always limited their votes to the Mayor and/or Council issue, leaving the remaining issues uncompleted. A lack of interest in the community board and/or regional council issues has been experienced at all local authority elections throughout New Zealand since 1989. Following the 1995 elections, a petition of inquiry was served at the Napier District Court with regard to the design of the Napier City Council's voting paper, in that the Council used a voting paper identical to that used in Christchurch, which included two issues on the reverse side, namely the election of Regional Council members for the Napier constituency of the Hawkes Bay Regional Council and a referendum. 2 Cont'd This electoral petition was dismissed by Judge Christiansen on 7 December 1995, the Court upholding the validity of the combined voting paper used. The Local Elections and Polls Act prescribes the wording of the voting instructions, and the way in which the candidates for each issue are listed on the voting paper. Returning Officers have no discretion whatsoever to depart from the requirements of the Act in these areas. The current voting papers are based on a Canadian model, and were introduced prior to the 1989 elections. The Internal Affairs Department trialed several different types of voting papers prior to selecting the ones now in use. In my opinion they are easy to follow, and are much better than the voting papers used prior to 1989, when electors were asked to vote for their preferred candidates with a cross rather than a tick. In future, the voting instructions on the voting paper will be simplified and repeated in several languages. 8. HAGLEY/FERRYMEAD COMMUNITY BOARD At the November meeting of the above Board, in response to concerns expressed by members at the low rate of voter turnout in the elections, a Committee was established to explore options for increasing participation in the elections. The Committee reported back to the April meeting of the Board when it was resolved that the Elections Committee meet with representatives of the Strategy and Resources Committee to discuss possible improvements to the election process. 9. CONCLUSION Human nature being what it is, there will always be some residents who fail to enrol, or fail to bring their enrolment details up to date. Now that enrolment details are handled on a national basis by central government, the rolls are much more accurate than previously. As indicated earlier, several further measures are proposed to encourage residents to enrol and vote. As previously stated, it is compulsory to enrol. However, to my certain knowledge this provision has not been enforced in the past. The high level of informal votes for the Community Board and Regional Council issues is attributable mainly to lack of voter interest, rather than the use of a double-sided voting paper. The Committee unanimously supported the initiatives proposed by the Returning Officer for increasing voter turnout. The conclusions drawn by the Returning Officer regarding the correlation between the number of informal votes and the double-sided voting papers were, however, questioned by some members. 2 Cont'd Based on anecdotal evidence and feedback from constituents several members of the Committee were firmly of the opinion that the double-sided voting paper was a contributing factor to the high number of informal votes for the Community Board and Regional Council issues. The Committee therefore recommends that the Returning Officer be requested to revert to the former practice of using separate voting papers in different colours for each issue in future. Recommendation: 1. That the initiatives suggested by the Returning Officer be endorsed. 2. That the Legislation Subcommittee meet with the Hagley/Ferrymead Community Board's Elections Committee to discuss possible improvements to the election process. 3. That the Returning Officer be requested to use separate voting papers in different colours for each issue in future. 4. That if the New Zealand Local Government Association's recommendation relating to the distribution of candidates' biographical details with voting papers is authorised in legislation, then the Council adopt this practice.
3. FERRYMEAD HISTORIC PARK RR 2547
Officer Responsible Author Environmental Policy and Planning John Chivers Manager Corporate Plan Output: City Planning and Development
The purpose of this report is to update the Committee on progress with Ferrymead restructuring, and to seek approval for the terms and amount for purchase of the Trust's land by the Council, and approval of the construction of a new public road linking Bridle Path Road to Truscott's Road, for construction in the year 1997/98. 1. PROGRESS Since the Council meeting in December 1995, at which the Council resolved to approve the restructuring strategy recommended by the Working Party and the purchase of the Ferrymead Trust land to fund the Trust's accumulated debts, the following progress has been achieved. Completed
1. The Trust Board has accepted in writing the restructuring programme approved by Council. 3 Cont'd 2. The Tramway contract for services on the site has been terminated. 3. A small building already on site has been relocated and fitted out for use as public entry and administration on the core site (Truscott's Road), in anticipation that the resource consent application will be successful. 4. The Trust has submitted a proposed operating budget to 30 June 1996 which reflects a scaled down operation. 5. A payment of $50,000 has been made from the annual grant to the Trust's accountant for the explicit purpose of paying out creditors who supplied services up to 31 August 1995. 6. The Trust has been given a grant of $50,000 from the Trust Bank Community Trust, which has been applied to the cost of relocating the office to the core site, and other expenses incurred since 1 September 1995. 7. Investigation of the feasibility and cost of a new public road between Bridle Path Road and Truscott's Road (2 options). Initiated But Still in Progress
1. A resource consent to relocate the public entry to the Park from Bridle Path Road to the core site has been applied for and publicly notified. Submissions close towards the end of April. There will then be a hearing before an independent commissioner. 2. A Development Board has been appointed by the Trust to manage the Park's operation in the short term (up to 12 months) and to develop a commercially viable plan for the Park for the medium to long term future. 3. Negotiations with Mr Athol Hutton, representing the Development Board, for the purchase of the Trust's land. Details are given in the public excluded section of this agenda. 4. Negotiations with The Tramway Historical Society are taking place regarding the freeholding of the land occupied by the No 1 Tram Barn, and other matters relating to their continuing occupation of the Ferrymead site. Further details are given in the public excluded section of the agenda. 5. Legal surveys and deeds claims are being undertaken for the property Council is purchasing. 2. NEW ROAD The approximate alignments for two options for the road are shown on the tabled plan.
3 Cont'd The roadworks in both cases will be entirely on land already owned or about to be owned by the Council. It appears resource consent approval is likely to be limited to earthworks. Provision has been made in the draft annual plan for this road in the `unspecified' roading budget for the year 1997/98 ($320,000). Option A
This option follows the southern boundary of the Trust's property and the ex Heathcote County landfill. If the tramway remains in its present location, some adjustments to its alignment will be required. A new culvert on Munnings Drain is expected to be required as part of Water Services stormwater study, and this may in itself require raising the tram track level above flood flows. Therefore, the cost of moving the tramway because of the road, is likely to be shared with Water Services. Estimated cost $400,000. Option B
This option enters the Park from Bridle Path Road at about the location of the present Administration Building which will need to be demolished or relocated. The route follows along the south side of Tram Barns 1 and 2 and then follows the inland side of the Ferrymead railway to Truscott's Road. Construction of this road requires the excavation and removal of landfill (rubbish) and replacement with earth filling over a length of approximately 270 metres. Estimated cost $760,000. Conclusion
The advantages of Option B over Option A are:
1. It enables the Tramway Society's workshops to be given direct access to a public road. This is particularly beneficial for the movement of trams on and off road transporters. 2. The road will form a boundary between land to the north (tramways and future reserve) and land to the south which Council is likely to dispose of. 3. It gives the option of relocating the tramline to the railway/road corridor, freeing up the constraints to land development to the south. The advantages of Option A over Option B are: 1. It is substantially cheaper to build. 3 Cont'd 2. It has less environmental impact because: (a) It keeps well away from the natural margin of the river. ((However, it should be noted that the existing railway embankment and its retaining wall already form a hard edge and is unlikely to ever be moved because of the historic location of this first New Zealand railway. The proposed road for Option B would reinforce this edge.) (b) The visual impact of the tramway overhead wires and poles is kept away from the river edge. (The historic railway did not have overhead electric traction.)
3. It provides access for subdivision for both Council land and the Maynard MacDonald private land to the south. Option A is recommended. 3. FUTURE ANNUAL GRANT If the land purchase proposal as outlined in the Public Excluded section of the report is approved by Council, then the Council, in addition to the initial payment for settlement and possession, will pay to the Trust approximately $75,000 per year for 5 years. The Project Team consider that, in addition to this, the Council should commit itself to a grant of $50,000 per annum for the next four years, and that this be for the express purpose of paying the salary of a competent marketing and administration manager to run the Park's affairs. The Team believe this should enable the Park to obtain the management skills necessary for a positive future. As part of this, the Council should be involved in the appointment of the manager, and the Trust should be required to submit an annual plan and budget by 31 May each year for Council approval. Recommendation: 1. That the information on progress be received. 2. That the Council approve the purchase of The Ferrymead Trust land, on the terms and conditions outlined in the public excluded section of this report, with the initial payment to be assigned by the Trust to the retirement of all outstanding debt. 3. That the annual deferred payments to the Trust for land purchase be approved. 4. That the Council confirm the construction of a new road (Bridle Path Road to Truscott's Road) in the 1997/98 year, on the southern alignment (Option A) as discussed in this report for an estimated cost of $400,000. 3 Cont'd 5. That an appropriate Council officer, nominated by the City Manager and a Councillor to be appointed by the Council, take part in the selection of a manager for the Park, and the Council confirm an annual grant of $50,000 per year for four years to be specifically allocated to that Manager's salary. 6. That each annual approval of the grant be subject to an annual plan and budget submitted to the Council by 31 May each year for approval. 7. That the Council lease to the Ferrymead Trust the core site for a period of 19 years, and lease such other parcels of land that are essential for continuing operation on a short term basis. (Note: Councillor Alpers requested that his vote against recommendation 4 be recorded.)
4. CANTERBURY REGIONAL COUNCIL RR 2639
WAIMAKARIRI/EYRE/CUST
RATING DISTRICT LIAISON COMMITTEE
Officer Responsible Author Council Secretary Julie Sadler Corporate Plan Output: Elected Member Representation Vol 1995/96 Corporate PlanThe purpose of this report is to seek the appointment of the Council representatives to the above Committee. A letter has been received from the Canterbury Regional Council inviting the Council to make its 1995-98 appointments to the above Committee. The Council's previous representatives were Councillors Keast and Wright with Councillor King acting as the alternate. The CRC has provided the following information on the role of the Liaison Committee: "This Council manages 52 separate river and drainage rating districts ranging from the Waimakariri-Eyre-Cust with an annual budget of $(M)3 p.a. and 130,000 rating assessments to a number with expenditures of less than $1,000 p.a. and only four or five ratepayers.
For those districts where it is not possible to liaise with all ratepayers, committees have been elected to provide an input into the community expectations and satisfaction with our performance in managing the districts. The first of these committees were formed about 20 years ago and we have progressively moved towards a complete coverage of all the catchment rating districts.
4 Cont'd In the case of the Waimakariri-Eyre-Cust district the typical formula for membership of a liaison committee is not appropriate, given the large number of ratepayers involved, so we have proposed a committee of Regional Councillors and two representatives each appointed by Christchurch City, Selwyn District and Waimakariri District. The logic for this proposal is that these people have already been elected to represent the interest of ratepayers.
Works in the Waimakariri-Eyre-Cust district involve the maintenance of the flood control system designed to protect properties on the floodplain from flooding from that river. All of Christchurch City is included in the rating district.
The total W E C rates collected in the city area for the 1995/96 year were $1,813,000 and the rating levels were:
$/$100,000 Total
Capital Value
Class A $54.64 10,250
Class B $36.43 30,875
Class C $14.57 64,050
Class D $10.93 1,647,900
Class E $7.29 2,250
Class F $3.64 55,675
-------------
$1,813,000
The total rates for the Waimakariri-Eyre-Cust district were $2,194,000." The Committee concurred with the Chairman's suggestion that, given the liaison committee's terms of reference, it would be appropriate for Waimairi and Papanui Ward Councillors to represent the Council on this Committee. Discussions will be held with the Councillors concerned prior to the Council meeting to enable the appointments to be made at this afternoon's meeting. Recommendation: That two Council representatives be appointed to serve on the Waimakariri/Eyre/Cust Rating District Liaison Committee of the Canterbury Regional Council. 5. SUPPLEMENTARY ITEMS The Chairman sought approval to introduce supplementary reports on the following topics: 1. Procedure for Appointment of Directors to a Roading LATE. 2. Richmond Neighbourhood Cottage Inc. - Application for a Grant. 5 Cont'd The Chairman explained the reasons why the reports had not be included in the main agenda and why they could not wait for the next meeting of the Committee. The Committee resolved that the supplementary reports be received and considered at the present meeting. 6. PROCEDURE FOR APPOINTMENT OF DIRECTORS RR 2654
TO ROADING LATE
Officer responsible Author City Manager Mike Richardson Corporate Plan Output: 1996/97 Corporate Plan - Corporate Advice
The Establishment Unit set up by the Council will report to the April Council meeting and recommend for adoption an Establishment Plan for a new entity to be known as Roadstone Construction Limited. Along with the Establishment Plan will be a recommendation from the Unit with regard to the number of directors and criteria which might be appropriate to their selection. At its meeting on 6 November 1995 the Council adopted the following procedure for the appointment of directors: "1. The Trading Activities Working Party utilise an independent consultant to prepare a list of potential directors who have broad based or specific business skills that would be of benefit to trading activities. It is suggested this list numbers about 30 people. Ideally this pool should include :
(a) People who are Christchurch based and sympathetic to the needs of the city and surrounding areas.
(b) People who have the following generic attributes:
- Strong thinking abilities, including the capacity to think strategically.
- Articulate, able to convey thoughts in a concise and clear manner.
- Have courage to be counted on important matters and force debate.
- Have a clear commitment to the responsibilities of a director.
- Be prepared to gain an in-depth familiarity with the company and its business area.
- Emotional detachment and objectivity.
- Respect for colleagues and staff.
- Unimpeachable business ethics.
- Proven commercial expertise.
- Positive attitude to Christchurch City Council ownership.
6 Cont'd 2. The independent consultant approach the nominated people to ascertain interest in being available to act as a director as a representative of the Council. This will ensure the requirements of the Privacy Act are complied with.
3. The consultant carry out detailed checking of CV and referees to ensure the right people are selected.
4. Trading Activities Working Party agree on the final composition of the list.
5. Procedure to be set up to monitor the performance of directors against criteria to be established by the consultant to ensure a contribution is being made. This could entail discussions with the Chairman and Chief Executive of each company. Councillors appointed to any board should be reviewed on the same basis as other directors.
6. If appropriate initiate the appointment of a new director after full consideration of the composition and requirements of the current board with the appointment of the new director/s to be subject in all cases to the approval of the full Council."
The Director of Finance advises that while the full list of directors has not been completed, the process and criteria has been used for the appointment of outside directors. In June 1994 the Auditor General published a comprehensive report on governance of LATEs and as part of the report made various recommendations regarding the appointment of directors to LATEs. The relevant recommendations were: 340 Local authorities should institute a process whereby they select people with appropriate skills to be directors of their companies. This should include determining the skills required, seeking applicants for the position, matching the applicants skills to the skills required, and interviewing candidates. This process may involve advertising or using consultants.
341 Local authorities should ensure that they seek applications as widely as practicable in order to be able to select from a wide pool of available candidates. They should consult the chairperson of the company on the particular skills required for the position.
342 Local authorities wanting to appoint elected representatives to a company board should make this selection on the basis of the commercial skills and experience of the councillors concerned. They should use the same selection criteria for these appointments as for the appointment of non-councillor directors.
6 Cont'd While the proposed new LATE is relatively small it is important that it include among its directors skills which will enable the company to adopt a strategic focus and effective business planning as well as including marketing, financial management, risk management and commercial experience. Knowledge of the industry and an ability to maintain effective joint venture arrangements will also be critical to the success of the company. It is necessary for the Council to put in place a procedure for identification of appropriate directors and I would recommend as follows: 1. That a list of potential directors be prepared by the City Manager and the Director of Finance, with a sufficient number to provide a reasonable element of choice. 2. That the list be submitted to a management consultant to report back on a confidential basis to a Council subcommittee. 3. That the Council subcommittee undertake such investigation as it considers necessary and recommend appropriate directors to the Council. 4. That the subcommittee comprise the Chairman of the Strategy and Resources Committee, the Chairman of Christchurch City Holdings Limited and one other Councillor. The subcommittee will be advised as appropriate by myself, the Director of Finance and the Director of Operations. Recommendation: 1. That the foregoing recommendation be adopted. 2. That the subcommittee comprise the Chairman of the Strategy and Resources Committee, the Chairman of Christchurch City Holdings and Councillors Howell, O'Rourke and Wright.
PART B - ITEMS DEALT WITH BY THE COMMITTEE AND
REPORTED FOR INFORMATION ONLY
7. SIX MONTHLY REVIEW OF FINANCIAL RESULTS AND RR 2409 ANNUAL PLAN PERFORMANCE INDICATORS
TO 31 DECEMBER 1995
The Accounting Services Manager submitted a report reviewing the financial operations of the Council for the six months to 31 December 1995. The report also identified additional revenue and savings/overruns in expenditure and reviewed progress in the achievement of the Annual Plan indicators. 7 Cont'd In noting the advice that the Parks Unit's sub-budget was expected to be over-spent by $70,000 at year end because of the costs incurred in fighting the recent fires at Bottle Lake Plantations, the Committee requested staff to report back on the actual costs incurred, the subsidies available from the Rural Fire Fighting Fund, the level of the Council's forestry insurance cover and the Selwyn Plantation Board's liability (if any) in respect of these costs. The Committee resolved: 1. That the information be received and the requests for additional urgent capital expenditure as listed in paragraph 3 of the report be noted. 2. That an additional $20,000 be provided from the contingency fund for events seeding for the remainder of the current financial year.
8. SELWYN PLANTATION BOARD LTD RR 2297
CONSULTATION ON SALE OF SHARES
The Committee resolved that the submissions on the sale of the Selwyn Plantation Board shares be heard on Thursday 2 May 1996.
9. PLANT REPLACEMENT PROGRAMME The Plant and Building Services Manager reported on replacement plant purchases for the period to 31 March 1996. In receiving the report, the Committee resolved that the Plant and Building Services Manager report back by the July meeting on the feasibility of purchasing approximately 20 electrical vehicles to replace a similar number of petrol or diesel powered vehicles in the Council's vehicle fleet.
10. RICHMOND NEIGHBOURHOOD COTTAGE INC.
APPLICATION FOR A GRANT
The Committee gave consideration to a letter from the Reverend Graham H Reddell, Chairperson of the Richmond Neighbourhood Cottage Inc. and the Richmond Community Action Group, seeking a grant of $5,000 towards the legal costs the groups had incurred in taking action against the Council, the Department of Community Corrections and Armitage Williams in relation to the establishment of a Corrections Centre at 232 Stanmore Road. The Committee resolved that authority be delegated to the Chairman and the Legal Services Manager to make a grant of up to $5,000 to the group; the grant to be refunded if these costs are subsequently recovered from the Crown.
11. ITEMS RECEIVED The Committee received the following reports:
11 Cont'd 11.1 Mayor's Welfare Fund Charitable Trust - RR 1562 Six Monthly Report for the Period
1 July 1995 to 31 December 1995
The Director of Finance reported on the status of the Mayor's Welfare Fund and on the number of clients accessing the fund. Also received were: * The audited accounts for the year ended 30 June 1995, together with the report of the Audit Office. An unqualified audit report was received for the year under review. * The Statement of Income and Expenditure for the six months ended 31 December 1995. 11.2 Children's Strategy
The Committee noted the information that an additional $417,000 has been provided in the 1996/97 Annual Plan for the implementation of Children's Strategy initiatives in 1996/97.
12. ITEMS DEFERRED The Committee deferred the following report: 12.1 Councillors' Accommodation RR 2630 The report of the Inventory Manager outlining the options for enhancing existing elected member facilities was deferred to enable further consultation to take place with Councillors to ascertain their individual preferences. The Mayor agreed to convene an informal meeting of Councillors for this purpose.
13. RESOLUTION TO EXCLUDE THE PUBLIC The Committee resolved that the draft resolution to exclude the public set out on page 33 of the agenda be adopted. CONSIDERED THIS 24TH DAY OF APRIL 1996 MAYOR