Bid to slash budget held over

Press, 26 February 1987, Page 5

Bid to slash budget held over

An attempt to cut a 20 per cent increase in Canterbury United Council levies to a 14 per cent rise was stalled at the council’s meeting yesterday.

The move to restrict the increase came amid calls that 20 per cent would be "totally unacceptable” to the local bodies which would have to find the money from their ratepayers. Cr Robert Sloss said he appreciated the United Council had lost a "considerable amount” of revenue previously paid by the Government. “But a lot of people we represent have also lost a lot from their budgets,” he said.

The “sobering effect” of the increase was that it did not include GST. .

The chairman of the United Council, Mrs Margaret Murray, said the move to cut costs was “completely irresponsible.” She did not see how a “blanket, across the board reduction” based on a percentage could be made.

Councillors had approved expenditure on items during the year, the budget had been before two sub-committees, and each councillor had been asked for comments or suggestions on trimming the budget. “You can’t come to this stage and say you want a cut back on percentages.

You have got to do your homework if you want a cut.”

Mrs Murray said specific areas where costs could be trimmed should be pointed out.

The council’s chief executive, Mr Malcolm Douglass, said that the 6 per cent reduction sought would result in at least one person on the council’s staff being made redundant.

A suggestion by Cr Euan Godfrey that the council delete the $67,000 it paid in allowances to its councillors and chairman received little support.

Cr Trevor Inch said the council might have trouble reaching a quorum for meetings if it

cut the allowances. Members who had to travel from Cheviot, Amur!, and Akaroa would have little Incentive to attend because of» travel costs.

Cr Clutha MacKenzie successfully moved that the budget as presented to the council be forwarded to its constituent councils for comment, and that the motion seeking only a 14 per cent increase and another which called for a $32,000 ’ reduction in salaries be held over until the council met again on April 15.

The total budget is for $1,778,500 and represents an average of $5.10 a head of population.