Another very pleasant and entertaining evening meeting attended by 30 members and 19 guests, chaired by PP David Hartstone in Presidents Allan’s absence. Thanks David.
From the floor, Donald B. expressed a very sincere vote of thanks to all the members who had volunteered to participate in the MS Street Appeal this past weekend. The impromptu Sergeants session led by Toni, raised a very credible $126 which will be passed to MS.
Our Guest Speaker for the meeting was Desley Simpson, Auckland City Council representing the Orakei Ward. As Chair of the Orakei Local Board, her portfolios include overall Board Strategy, finance, rates and governance. Desley is a colourful, outgoing Aucklander with four generations of Auckland local government service in her DNA. Her great great uncle, Sir Henry Brett, being 5th Mayor of Auckland and her great grandfather donating the Pipe Organ in the Auckland Town Hall in 1911.
Her grandfather Sir James Donald was an active member of the Harbour Board which created the Auckland Harbour Bridge opened in 1959.
Desley has been a Justice of the Peace since 1997 and her primary focus as a Councillor is to address issues associated with infrastructure, which previous councils have underinvested in. Obvious examples are stormwater / sewage issues which result in sewage overflowing into the Harbour every time to rains. Auckland still has beaches which are unacceptable for swimming.
The heavy rain on April 11 this year was the worst this century which lead to power and water supply outages attributed to both above and below ground. 60% of power outages are caused by tree roots which can destroy the infrastructure when they are blown over and subsequently up-root the cables and other infrastructure.
The end result is that investment in infrastructure must be increased which could see a steady increase in rates. Certainly, the Uniform Annual General Rates Charge UARC -- could be increased to $414 per household. To balance these issues, savings must be initiated within the Council Infrastructure itself which will be an ongoing exercise. The Finance Committee are looking for a saving of $22 million in the first year and $39 million in the second year.
Desley addressed many other issues and fronted an active Q & A session. A great address that was very informative for all Auckland City residents, not just those in the Orakei Ward.
From the floor, Donald B. expressed a very sincere vote of thanks to all the members who had volunteered to participate in the MS Street Appeal this past weekend. The impromptu Sergeants session led by Toni, raised a very credible $126 which will be passed to MS.
Our Guest Speaker for the meeting was Desley Simpson, Auckland City Council representing the Orakei Ward. As Chair of the Orakei Local Board, her portfolios include overall Board Strategy, finance, rates and governance. Desley is a colourful, outgoing Aucklander with four generations of Auckland local government service in her DNA. Her great great uncle, Sir Henry Brett, being 5th Mayor of Auckland and her great grandfather donating the Pipe Organ in the Auckland Town Hall in 1911.Her grandfather Sir James Donald was an active member of the Harbour Board which created the Auckland Harbour Bridge opened in 1959.
Desley has been a Justice of the Peace since 1997 and her primary focus as a Councillor is to address issues associated with infrastructure, which previous councils have underinvested in. Obvious examples are stormwater / sewage issues which result in sewage overflowing into the Harbour every time to rains. Auckland still has beaches which are unacceptable for swimming.
The heavy rain on April 11 this year was the worst this century which lead to power and water supply outages attributed to both above and below ground. 60% of power outages are caused by tree roots which can destroy the infrastructure when they are blown over and subsequently up-root the cables and other infrastructure.
The end result is that investment in infrastructure must be increased which could see a steady increase in rates. Certainly, the Uniform Annual General Rates Charge UARC -- could be increased to $414 per household. To balance these issues, savings must be initiated within the Council Infrastructure itself which will be an ongoing exercise. The Finance Committee are looking for a saving of $22 million in the first year and $39 million in the second year.
Desley addressed many other issues and fronted an active Q & A session. A great address that was very informative for all Auckland City residents, not just those in the Orakei Ward.