April 19, 2009
In case you thought the Tukituki has been getting cleaned up, here are some recent photos to set you straight (once on Flickr, click on the Slideshow option, or scroll through at your own pace). All were taken 17 April 2009 by Claire Belford, at or within a kilometer or so of the Red Bridge [...]
April 17, 2009
The Governance Board of the DHB met Thursday and, in its normal sotto voce* style, discussed the fate of two key public health facilities. First up was the Wellesley Road Health Centre. During review of the Health Board’s capital expenditure budget, Board member Kevin Atkinson brought up the fate of the Health Centre in Napier [...]
April 15, 2009
Back in February, I reported on a brief presentation I made to the District Health Board, urging them to play a more proactive public health advocacy role, as mandated by the Public Health and Disabilities Act. I cited a number of examples — harmful particulate pollution in the air, safe drinking water and healthy recreational [...]
April 14, 2009
Ratepayers in the Hastings District … have you spent any time yet pondering the questions posed by the Hastings Council’s budget/LTCCP survey? You know, that clever mailer each ratepayer household received awhile back with the detachable freepost reply card. I’m told about 300 surveys have been returned so far. Hopefully, many more will be. I [...]
April 10, 2009
Yesterday I talked about what is missing from Councils’ new ten year plans: Serious efforts to cut costs and eliminate ineffective or low-priority activities; Serious assessment of staffing levels and projected staff growth; Serious discussion of shared services among Councils. Today we move on to BayBuzz’ s “Top Ten” issues raised by the Hastings, Napier [...]
April 9, 2009
In the coming fiscal year, ending 30 June 2010, the Hastings, Napier and Regional Councils will spend a combined total of $281 million. Ratepayers, including businesses, will furnish most, though not all, of these funds. Other sources include earnings from investments, fees charged to developers in payment for council-fronted infrastructure (e.g., water and sewer lines), [...]
April 8, 2009
In the latest edition of BayBuzz Digest, we invited three ratepayers who also have had their hands in local politics or governance issues to offer their views on rates and the role of local government. Here’s what they had to say … User Pays, Nick Stewart — Nick is Executive Director of the Stewart Financial [...]
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