Yule offers to settle $1 council debt

Hastings Mayor Lawrence Yule

Hastings Mayor Lawrence Yule offered to dig into his own pocket yesterday to settle a council property transaction.

But the deal was never going to break the bank - it involved a shed the council had agreed to buy for just $1.

The bargain-priced double-garage building belongs to the Waimarama Civil Defence Committee and sits on a Waimarama Rd section owned by the council.

The shed is next to the Waimarama Rural Fire Headquarters and was built after the council agreed in 2006 to establish the Waimarama Civil Defence Centre.

It houses a four-wheel-drive ute and emergency equipment, to be used in the event of a tsunami or other disaster.

The committee has been struggling to raise funds for building maintenance and insurance, so approached the council to take over ownership for a nominal $1 payment.

Council staff agreed the move was appropriate, saying in a report the local authority would be able to insure the building for a fraction of the cost incurred by the committee.

Mr Yule told a council meeting yesterday he agreed the change of ownership was a sensible move, even though it meant the council picking up the estimated $2000 a year cost of maintaining and insuring the building.

"It's a pretty good deal for us, when you consider what they provide at Waimarama," he said.

Councillors agreed, to the delight of Waimarama Civil Defence Committee chairman Richard Gaddum, who was at the meeting.

Mr Gaddum was left with one concern over the deal, however.

"I just wonder if we're going to see our dollar, that's all," he joked.

"I've got one in my pocket, mate," Mr Yule replied.

Mr Gaddum thanked the council for doing the deal, saying his committee found it difficult raising money. "What we do raise goes into equipment to make Waimarama and the surrounding area a safer place."