Rotorua council needs to stick to budgets, a reader says.
The Rotorua District Lakes Council has to stop living by William Feather's motto: "A budget tells what we can't afford, but it doesn't keep us from buying it."
On May 26, 2018 the Rotorua Daily Post headline was "Hemo Gorge roundabout sculpture faces hurdle but $500,000 price tag unchanged". Now
it has finally been revealed that the "true cost" of the sculpture is a whopping $743,000.
The original contribution was supposed to be NZTA $200,000, RLDC Arts Budget $150,000, Te Puia $50,000 with $100,000 sought by various community and arts trusts, or private individuals who would like to contribute.
Now the ratepayers have to cough up $388,000, that's 2.59 times the original $150,000.
The council should be abiding by Joni Ernst's saying: "It's time to stop spending money we don't have and balance the budget."
