Call made to prune budgets

Press, 19 February 1986, Page 9

Call made to prune budgets

Ad hoc bodies have to get the message and prune their estimated budgets to a size that ratepayers can afford, according to Waimairi District councillors. The council aimed to keep its rate increases within the estimated rate of inflation, 15 per cent, and ad hoc bodies should endeavour to do likewise, said the District Chairman, Mrs Margaret Murray, at the council’s meeting last evening.

Councillors were concerned that although they might pare the council’s budget to a reasonable size, ad hoc bodies might not pare their costs enough.

Their concern was expressed after hearing about the estimates of the Christchurch Town Hall board of management. Cr Hazel Tait said that she had spent more than three hours with other board members trying to

whittle down a draft budget with estimated increased costs of more than 50 per cent. The board had halved the increase and would try to cut it further, she said. Cr Philip Carter said that ad hoc bodies such as the Town Hall board and the Canterbury United Council had to “get the message” and prune their estimates. The community could not stand increases of more than 15 per cent (the rate of inflation). Cr Brian Shackel agreed. The council aimed to keep its increases within the rate of inflation and ad hoc bodies, “on whose behalf we are gathering and administering rates,” should do the same. The council will write to ad hoc bodies calling on them to limit their estimated budget increases for the 1986-1987 financial year to 15 per cent.

The council’s finance and policy committee heard last week that with projected salary increases of more than 24 per cent, the council would have to investigate ways of keeping rate increases within the rate of inflation.

Fine weather and high interest rates have given the council’s present budget an unexpected boost.

Last week its finance and policy committee heard that unexpectedly high interest rates had brought the budget out of the red.

According to the ninemonth cost statement presented to the committee and discussed by the council last evening, the council’s expenses are expected to be almost $300,000 less than estimated by the end of the financial year, compared with the $lOO,OOO over budget expected in the half-yearly cost statement. The District Engineer,

Mr John Lamb, told councillors last evening that where income was weather-related, such as Jellie Park Aqualand and Spencer Park, the recent good weather had boosted income. Although some cost centres would be overspent and others would be underspent, over all the budget should be in credit. Wasp control Rural residents in Waimairi would be particularly pleased with measures being taken to control wasps, according to Cr Gordon Freeman. . The council has agreed to pay $3OOO over two years towards the D.S.I.R.’s programme of wasp control.

D.S.I.R. scientists will release an imported parasite of wasp nests in Waimairi : .District , and other : ■ ■ ■ local - - authority areas which decide to take part in the pro-

gramme. The programme is expected to control, not exterminate, the wasp population. If successful it will save the council an estimated $2500 each year, the cost of poisoning about 200 nests. Flood warnings Early warnings of possible flooding in the Styx River area will now be possible, with the installation of electronic recording stations at four sites along its banks.

The stations will be fitted with radio-tele-* phone (telemetry) linked to a computer based at the Christchurch Drainage Board’s office in Cambridge Terrace. The new recording equipment, replacing existing river-level recording stations, will provide staff with continuous accurate information and an early-warning system at times of heavy rain.