Brownie Points?

So who else found it in the Action Sheet?

Click to enlarge

Some idiot suggested it be in Public Excluded but I remind anyone and everyone that it is up to the elected members to vote on whether it be in PE.

The reason for the PE is given as ‘to protect the privacy of natural persons’.  What natural persons?  Can’t be our elected members, they voluntarily gave up that privacy when they ran for the Board.  The employees of Ravensdown that are attending?  I doubt it, being as they have hundreds of shareholders they are responsible to…

This is the general fob off reason they choose because the Local Government Official Information and Meetings Act doesn’t offer

“To exclude the peasants so they can’t see us fold under pressure or hear what bullshit excuses we accept or deals we make that screw over the community and prove we are inept morons who have now crossed way over the line into ICC’s regulatory responsibilities”

BTW, it seems the current price for selling out the community is $5k (previously $4k), are Ravensdown willing to beat that…let the bidding begin!

Yesteryear

I realised that a page on this blog wasn’t going to work for the historical bits and bobs I come across so I started another blog.  I have put a link on right for those interested in history.  Each picture, postcard or article has a separate post with categories assigned so you can click on a category that interests you and see what I have filed under that.  Separate posts also allow for comments on that item.  If you know the date or date range or maybe what happened to the building or boat…etc.  If you just want to comment, feel free.  If you want a copy of any the images let me know c.teau@woosh.co.nz and I can email it, they are usually compressed for website use and may not be as good quality if just saved.

The current home page item is interesting I think, it’s a letter to the editor from 1885 about the future prospects of Bluff.  I think the most interesting point is that we are still saying the same a hundred plus years later…nothing changes.  The irony is, the author (unknown) is lauding the need for banking services in Bluff (then Campbelltown)…lol…what was I saying about an ATM?

Progress In Bluff?

You decide, given this resolution, at Bluff Community Board 26 March 2007

Moved J Mitchell, seconded A Brocklehurst and RESOLVED that the option of an
ATM be further investigated;
And
That the utilisation of credit cards through the Service Centre be further
investigated.

Then more recently we have this resolution, 20 June 2011

 

What a pity they didn’t further this to an actual outcome for the betterment of Bluff.  Would have prevented this credit card issue coming up again (and again).

Comments on The Big Picture

ICC are accepting ‘comments’ (note: non-statutory therefore no formal submission process) on ‘The Big Picture’ (Spatial Plan) until ‘the end of October’.  If you’ve got something to comment on email it to bigpicture@icc.govt.nz

I am frequently surprised by council’s lack of foresight.  While they may consider themselves as moving with the times (and technology) by creating a DVD, what if I want more information like the maps?  Can I view them online?…no…have to kill a tree (and waste money on printing) when they could have had it online and cut costs even more.

It’s a pity our Board weren’t on to it enough to have the Rezone Gore Street views added in there.  The Board met with planners and came up with ‘leave it to the 2012 District Plan review’.  I’m not going to prattle on about them supporting the views of their constituents (it would be beyond most of them).

They obviously don’t get ‘the big picture’…all along ICC have said that the spatial plan is a guiding, all encompassing document and one would assume a living ever-evolving document.  So the Board are wasting time, resources and consultation opportunities.  Why be involved in the process (two bites at the cherry) and intentionally put off the rezoning idea.  ICC will now have to deal with representations from supporters of the Rezone during the Spatial Plan and DP Review and the paperwork that goes along with that.  Had it been included and endorsed in the Big Picture it would have then followed that “council would anchor that vision in legal documents like the Long Term Plan and District Plan”.  Those are Jackie Kruger’s words from the DVD, she also informed the Board that they were ‘looking at them to provide leadership on the rezoning’.  BTW that does not mean decide what you want and get the others to follow!

We now have a possible (highly probable) scenario that the Big Picture will be adopted and then have to be amended (or outdated) if the District Plan Review endorses rezoning.  Remember that the ones who chose to fob off the rezone are also the ones charged with leading the implementation of the Bluff Concept Plan (2002).  Peruse the plan and you will see it’s vision does not include promoting and allowing the increase of industry on the main street, quite the opposite.  Maybe it needs to spelled out.

• The rezone fits perfectly with the concept plan.

• Current zoning does not.

• You are not doing your job.

Comments welcome on the ISSUE.  I can provide evidence to support the claims, feel free to ask.

 

 

How?

Cr Lewis raised at the 20 June meeting of Bluff Community Board that he had tried to buy oyster festival tickets with his credit card over the phone from the Service Centre and found out they don’t accept credit cards (why didn’t he buy them at ICC?)  The Board asked council to look into it and this is the response;

The Director of Finance and Corporate Services had advised that the cost to
Council of providing credit card facilities at Kiwibank would be about $250000
or a 0.5% rate increase. Council was looking at options on this matter.

How?

Remember the Kiwibank/Postshop counters have EFTPOS machines that you can withdraw cash out of (no purchase required, no limit to my knowledge).  This was available even when the Service Centre was in the Town Hall and before it was a Kiwibank/Postshop/Lotto shop.  It was a service to fill a need in the community and assist tourists to Stewart Island.  We were always told it wouldn’t continue because we were getting an ATM (hence the Kiwibank).  That never happened because Kiwibank said NO and accepting the other banks offer was a conflict for council and would risk the future of the Service Centre because it would lose $8000 p.a (that’s all we’re worth, they could have the $10k p.a. from Bluff ratepayers that the Maritime Museum have put in term deposit).  So the EFTPOS has remained and the staff to operate it and now we are told it will cost $250k to put it in credit card facilities.  How?

Doesn’t the Four Square accept credit cards?  Yes it does, I just checked.   I doubt it cost them $250k, so again I wonder, HOW?

UPDATE: My Keep and Share was playing up when I wrote this post, I’ve now checked and it was only $4,000 p.a we were worth.  Read all three pages of the link, you’ll see the need for credit cards has been going on since 2007.  Welcome to the fast lane!