The wooing of Bluff is becoming more and more evident or is Tim trying to justify Venture’s existence (BTW Tim I know a committee in Bluff that’s already working with media on articles free of charge!). The 5 June Mayor’s Report contains an article about Bluff. Wouldn’t a link have sufficed?
And why is southlandnz.com the contact? What about Bluff Promotions?
I haven’t been very ‘on to it’ lately, it seems the Bluff Community Charitable Trust has amended it’s trust deed and to show it’s disregard for the general public of Bluff – the community board now have control over the appointment of FOUR out of six trustees.
You don’t see them reporting this to the community board meetings.
They are appointed because they are elected members from the board therefore they have a responsibility to report what they are doing to the board (as a collective).
Remember they are the ‘legal’ owners of the Town Hall that was ‘gifted to the Bluff Community’ . The trust uses the Bluff Community name but doesn’t serve the community. The chair of the board appoints herself and two lackies and now they have replaced the Southland Conversation Board appointment with ‘a representative for the Bluff business community’.
I do not see how the business community are relevant to a trust who’s objectives are sporting, educational and/or recreational initiatives and facilities and community development. Bluff Promotions Inc has businesses as the majority of it’s members and already appoint someone to the trust. Why does business need to be represented twice?
To make matters worse, the representative from the business community is appointed by the three community board members on the trust…not all five trustees make the decision on who will be the sixth just the community board members. They certainly have a high opinion of themselves considering they are managing the facility badly (you should NOT be paying $1200 a year rates!) and the community has never got anything out of the ‘gift to the community’ except for a $8k per annum rate out of the pockets of Bluffies.
I CHALLENGE BRENT PROCTER, PANIA COOTE AND JAN MITCHELL TO JUSTIFY THEIR ACTIONS AS BOARD MEMBERS ON THE BLUFF COMMUNITY CHARITABLE TRUST.
I’ve been reading back through a few of my blog posts and what is evident to me is that we have an opportunity here (and it may be our last). ICC are proposing some urban renewal and have budgeted $200,000 for five communities, us included. We may whine and complain that 22 kilometres up the road they ignore us on some things but the reforms that are looming will quite possibly have a council that is more distant and inundated with communities of interest to oversee and restrictive funding regimes (if only they’d been rational rather than frivolous over the years). I doubt we will have much opportunity to get our slice of the pie from a large conglomerate council.
We’ve been stagnant, we need to move on. I’m sick of hearing, soon, one day, you might offend so and so or so and so won’t agree to that…
For years I’ve expressed the need to use the town hall as a shared services venue to create a hub for the community and base for progress. It needs to be NOW. I won’t go into how the town hall could be utilised but how the ‘owners’ can progress it.
The current trust deed has the trustees appointed
And add to that
I don’t know why they think the community board members are any better than anyone else. Shouldn’t a chair be decided on merits and abilities, not perceived status or position in the community?
That doesn’t need to be the case, nothing personal (to some of them) but the current trustees are not being effective and are wasting what could be a valuable resource (the town hall complex) in our community. The constitution allows for changes
There you have it. The current trustees can in accordance with clause 21.1 alter clauses 5.1, 5.2, 5.3, 5.4 and 10.1. Most true community groups allow for office bearers or trustees to be elected at an AGM.
That town hall could then have people actually interested in and committed to furthering the town hall as a community centre and base. Not doing it or providing opportunities for the community to be involved shows that it’s not BLUFF COMMUNITY Charitable Trust but OUR PET PROJECT trust.
Could the double standards be more obvious! Good on Bluff Promotions for a successful Book Sale and I commend you for your efforts but the notice from the Chairman shows that if you’re hand in hand with the right people you get benefit. From the current Bluff Beacon we have this
“Thanks to the Bluff Community Charitable Trust for allowing us use of the council chambers and former library for the sale.”
For the non resident readers, the ‘council chambers and former library’ are part of the Town Hall complex that ICC fobbed off to us for $1 as part of the Bluff Service Centre/Kiwibank/Lotto Shop/Post Shop/trinket shop move. The Trust (three community board members and three others) that has legal ownership ‘asked’ the Board who ‘recommended’ to Council for a Targeted Rate to cover costs of the Town Hall.
Allowing use? It was ‘gifted to the Bluff community’ NOT Bluff Community Charitable Trust! The statement also implies it was use, without cost. I have been told of many groups that don’t use it because it is cost prohibitive but this thanks seems to imply different for Bluff Promotions, doesn’t it?
Let’s not forget that the Chairman of Bluff Promotions penning the notice is a trustee of the Bluff Community Charitable Trust.
Perception is that rules apply differently for some.
Willing to spend some of that $80K plus that they take out of ratepayers pockets on food and booze for themselves at Christmas time. Not willing to pay an annual subscription to Bluff Promotions of $50 though. Many businesses in Bluff do AND they pay rates (home and business) so that you guys can dine on their hard earned money.
From the minutes of 31 October Bluff Community Board meeting, item 14.2
The chairperson had received an invoice for $50 from Bluff Promotions which is an annual subscription by the Board. The Finance Department was contacted and they advised that the Board had not paid this in previous years. She asked for the Board’s direction on the matter.
C Te Au moved a motion that the Board asks Bluff Promotion for more information on the matter.
The motion lapsed for want of a seconder.Moved Cr Lewis, seconded B Procter and RESOLVED that the Board declines to pay the invoice of $50.00 from Bluff Promotions.
It seems Charlie can’t even get someone to second a motion for more information. They must see information as the enemy. Not a good play from Cr Lewis, not going to win over the Bluffies by leading the charge to turn down a not for profit organisation. I expect nothing less from Procter given the Public Excluded content of those emails he put in his failed report. Maybe Bluff Promotions had valid reason for asking for a subscription. Given that the Board stick their noses in on the employment issues of the Publicity Officer (who attends more community board meetings than some of the board members). Let’s not forget that they appoint someone to Bluff Promotions. Why shouldn’t they pay a subscription?
Here’s a thought…how about each board member join as individual members ($10 per annum I think)…and you can claim it against your community board income at tax time. Cheap bastards.
I see Community Trust of Southland have their quarterly grants report advertisement in today’s paper. I only see three for Bluff.
Bluff Hill/Motupohue Environment Trust
-Purchasing poison and rat traps $10,000
Bluff Promotions
-Guarantee against Loss, Up and Over the Hill Grunt event $2,000
Bluff Yacht Club
-Re-roofing part of the club house $2,500
Not much in the scheme of things.
I see in this week’s Beacon that Bluff Promotions are this year running their book sale at the the flower show. While it is probably a good idea, a lot of townies come to the garden show and Bluff Promotions may turn over more books, the cynic in me wonders if it’s because no single group can justify the costs involved with hiring the Town Hall for a single event!
I was told that the cost doubled over night one year. May be someone can enlighten me to the current hire costs?
No letters to the editor today…are blogs and online comment features going to see the decline of letters to the editor in the same way digital cameras have affected Kodak?
I see people are looking at a lot of Rezone Gore Street relevant stuff on Keep and Share. I can only hope it is the powers that be rather than the Board who only think they have power. With the Urban District Plan Review being compiled as we speak, I hope that anyone unsure of the reasoning (and motives) behind the rezoning contact Linda to discuss it. It is an interesting discussion if you enter it without predetermined views (and ignore anything Procter, Mitchell and Allan have ever said). There is a lot supporting the idea of rezoning. It is vital when considering it to assess the difference between Industry and Business. Surely business is what we want to entice for the long term future and prosperity of Bluff?
The oyster festival committee are gearing up and I hope people will help out not only to receive a donation for a group they are involved in but as individuals. The support the festival committee has given to many groups including schools, medical centre, St John’s and defibrillators within the community is a direct result of the committee’s work. This is the fifth event and over time committee members will move on or burn out. It needs regular new blood and ideas and can be great fun and extremely rewarding. Next meeting is February 1 at Senior Citizens at 7pm if you want to join. If you have any questions call John 212-7746 or me 212-8889 or any other members you might know. the festival provides a great way for Bluff to bring in new money to be used to benefit the wider community.
I notice the coming events calendar in the Beacon is a bit light at the moment. This is submitted every week by Lindsay Beer, Bluff Promotions and Publicity Officer, a great asset to Bluff. Contact him to include or alter or remove something so he can help promote your event or group. We help pay for him so make sure you use him:-)
Contact Lindsay on 217-4288 or by email lindsay.beer@xtra.co.nz. I find email best because he’s a busy man and can respond at leisure and because I’m verbose and take up too much of his time on the phone:-)
