And public’s priorities?

A109 Light Utility Helicopter flight with mayor Gisborne City from the air in November 2023.

Opinion

Further to my earlier comments re the huge proposed rates increases, I note that much of this seems to have been decided — or should I say, predetermined — out of the public eye.

Mayor Stoltz  refers to “priorities . . . were determined by councillors over a series of workshops, and will be used to set the direction for actions the council will deliver over the next three years”.

These, I would guess, are the workshops which the Chief Ombudsman has said should be open to the public, and the minutes available for media publication.

It would seem important decisions have been made without public scrutiny — and what if the public’s priorities are vastly different from the councillors’ (and council staff)?

What then? I bet the public doesn’t get the final say.

As for falling behind the rest of the country, this is not a competition or a race — we should set our own priorities for our desired life on the East Coast, bearing in mind the huge mistakes of the past.

And it is misleading to say we are now paying for three or four years of lower rates — we could no more afford it in 2018, even without unforeseen (but perhaps predictable!) events.

Whatever the outcome, I think ratepayers should demand that major decision-making on projects, spending and rates, always be done in open meetings, not in “workshops” or some such.

It is no wonder Cr Cranston has noted there are fewer meetings these days, when it is obvious important business is settled out of sight!

Roger Handford