Waimairi honoraria held by wage freeze

Press, 26 October 1984, Page 7

Waimairi honoraria held by wage freeze

The annual honoraria for the chairman and deputy chairman of the Waimairi District Council could not be reviewed at the council’s annual meeting last evening because of the wage freeze. It was agreed that the chairman, Mrs Margaret Murray, would again get $23,641, and the deputy chairman, Cr W. T. Rice, $2441. Both honoraria are below the maximum allowable under the Local Government (Remuneration and Allowances) Notice, 1982. The chairman of standing committees, and members receive the maximum payable. Committee chairmen set $4515 a year and members $30.45 a day for meeting attendance.

The council decided to augment its committees — works, reserves and traffic; finance and policy; and town planning — with a fourth, on community affairs.

Mrs Murray, who -made the recommendation, said that a fourth committee would reduce the work done in sub-committees. As well as ensuring that more busi-

ness was done in “the public arena” a fourth committee would ensure more effective use of the time of councillors and staff. The new committee will focus on community activities, housing for the elderly, libraries, information, health, and dog control.

Cr Rice was re-elected as deputy chairman. The post of council chairman was not at stake.

Cr N. C. Skevington was elected chairman of the new community affairs committee; Cr G. L. Freeman reelected chairman of the works, reserves, and traffic committee; Cr B. R. Shackel re-elected chairman of the town-planning committee; and Cr P. M. Carter reelected chairman of the finance and policy (formerly by-laws) committee. Mrs Murray said that the last 12 months would be remembered as a year of significent change for the Waimairi District Council. Changes were inevitable when a new chairman succeeded one who has led the council for 17 years, she said.

Mrs Murray was elected District Chairman after the local body elections in October, 1983. In her annual report, Mrs Murray said that the Waimairi District, with its population of about 72,200 continued to show the highest growth rate of any local’ body in the Christchurch metropolitan area. Since 1976, Waimairi’s population had grown an average of about 0.7 per cent compared with Paparua County at 0.3 per cent, Heathcote County at 0.1 per cent, and the decreasing populations of Christchurch City and Riccarton Borough. The district’s total capital value at April, 1984, was more than $llB3 million, the ninth-highest of New Zealand local bodies.