Council plan for new office on hold

Bob Laing. Photo / Supplied

Plans for a plush new $34 million headquarters could be on the backburner for the Waikato Regional Council but the organisation might still hire more than 30 new staff next year.

Those are two of the recommended changes to the council's long term plan by its chief executive Bob Laing, whose submission was presented to regional councillors yesterday.

In it, Mr Laing recommended deferring the expensive building project, aimed at housing all 416 staff under one roof instead of across four sites in Hamilton, until after the outcome of local government reforms.

The project previously split the council, with rates control members consistently voting against the plans.

In his submission Mr Laing said a single purpose-built office on land the council owns in Hamilton East would cut energy, security and maintenance costs while improving efficiencies and staff productivity.

Projections that staff numbers could rise to 550 by 2023 prompted the council to look for larger premises and in February 2009 it bought the site on the corner of Cook and Grey St for $3.8 million.

Then the upper floor of the existing 401 Grey St headquarters was found to be leaky and staff investigated the feasibility of a new building, which would be paid for by an internal loan.

Mr Laing's submission is that $1.53 million for design work over the next two financial years be pushed back to 2014-15 so that the total amount needed in year three of the project is $6.1 million.

"The proposal will be looked at again once more is known about the shape of local government reform."

Meanwhile he wanted $1.6 million in remedial work on the current headquarters to remain in the long term plan for next year.

However at the same time Mr Laing has asked councillors to approve 33 new full-time positions at the council next year including the creation of a biosecurity officer role currently budgeted to start in 2015.

The draft long term plan already allows for 29 new staff in the 2012/13, 14 the following year and five in 2015.

"The work programme in year two requires the additional role (of biosecurity officer) to be filled in advance."

The additional salary cost would be funded from the biosecurity reserve.

Mr Laing also wants other roles to be recruited earlier than originally budgeted resulting in a move of three full-time positions from 2013-14 to the next financial year.

Councillor Russ Rimmington queried whether adding to staff numbers was a wise decision given the local government reforms, but was told the positions were budgeted for on the basis of work the council was required to carry out.

The council had received 559 submissions to the draft long term plan, which would be adopted on June 29.

LONG TERM PLANS

* WRC chief executive Bob Laing wants to:
* Defer $1.53 million design work for new headquarters.
* Allow for 33 new full-time staff next year.
* Continue to fund Maungatautari Ecological Island by $1 million over next five years.
* Add almost $44,000 to the Tui Mine remediation project.
* Defer recovery of $142,000 for flood works in Te Puru for one year.
* Add extra $65,000 to help investigate contamination of the Moanataiari subdivision in Thames.