Shannon Dowsing
A big week in council with volumes of reading to be done, all whilst keeping an eye on the global economic landscape and the effects on our community.
Covid-19 is a reminder of the necessity for regional security through diversity, self-sustainability and prudence. These are clear lessons ahead of Finance and Performance and Operations committees this week.
Among the decision reports at Finance and Performance are our draft Annual Plan, Fees and Charges, and interestingly the potential purchase of a council-owned boat. This is a designated craft for the Harbour Master to complete their duties — items like response to oil spills, ship groundings and activity around compliance and safety. There are also other opportunities to use it for our water testing and other soft benefits, but these won't decrease our expenditure.
I have expressed my thoughts on our need for a boat in the past and I'm not yet convinced, but as always I look forward to the discussion.
Operations is an excellent read if you love business cases and roading proposals, and let's face it who doesn't. With a good 200 pages of the 350-page agenda designated to some of our key networks it is important and fortunately easy to summarise.
Queens Drive/Titirangi Drive — One way system, is the only decision report and it is a determination of our preferred way forward. The options provide safer shared usage of the roadway on a taonga that is so well used by our community. Part of this is a proposed 30km speed limit and several road layouts. The preferred option is sensible and provides the desired outcomes.
The three information reports are business cases to support important strategic roading assets. The first is for the troublesome access road to the East Cape Lighthouse, a major tourism attraction and substantial part of the greater SH35 opportunity. Second is the forward workplan to create local road resilience, and finally the 50 Max upgrade on state highways and bridges.
Each project is significant, needing tens of millions to achieve. The purpose of these business cases is to support applications for external funding as well as make the best decision on what to prioritise. In an election year, with promises of investment in infrastructure, it is good to be advanced in our planning and ready with such well-written reports.
If all that wasn't enough, we pick up some light reading about the habits of rooks (crows) in our region and a history of their introduction between 1862-1874.
I love the enormous scope of our work on council and honestly enjoy these learning opportunities. Familiarising myself with a pest and its control measures may not seem important at the time but one day I will draw on this knowledge and it will make for better decision-making.
The same is true for the rest of the updates and monitoring in our agenda. These are opportunities to know our region better and strategise for the best outcomes in the interconnected systems of council.