Urban Renewal Meeting TODAY

Well today’s the big day, 7pm at St John’s, and Charlie’s working so I can’t attend.

I have some views regarding community development but can’t say I’m too interested in Urban Renewal in the ICC way.  I will see where things progress from here and anyway I already share my ideas and they (whomever ‘they’ may be) are quite welcome to ask me for help.

To me, we already have a concept plan with heaps of ideas and so many groups that all we really need is a place for them to network and meet and display their ideas and share resources.  But wait, we do have such a place…

What’s Goin’ On ‘Ere Then?

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.

• Why should businesses be represented twice?
• Why are you paying $1200 rates when other town halls in Southland don’t?
• Why are the community not able to use the facility freely?
• Why not appoint community members rather than board members?
• Why is it cost prohibitive for community groups to use it when the trust has over $100,000 for more than 2 years?
• Why isn’t the trust promoting itself as a ‘vehicle to obtain funding’ for the whole community?
• How are you serving us, the residents, on the trust?

To ALL Trustees Of 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.

Your Annual Chance To Have Your Say

I’ve checked and even though the Bluff Town Rate was imposed in a questionable manner, the Annual Plan is the only time we can express our views to the council regarding it.  It’s unfortunate the trust that requested it don’t give us opportunity to raise the issue with them in an open and transparent manner, especially because they are BLUFF COMMUNITY Charitable Trust.  So the Auditor-General has told me that I can raise it with ICC during the annual plan consultation process.  Council accepted no letter or formal request from the trust to impose it upon us.  It was raised by our elected members at a board meeting without conflicts being declared (being as they are also on the trust requesting the board recommend it to council...it was a dog’s breakfast).

So everyone that owns property within the grey area within the green circle pays $6.34 with their rates every year to fund the Town Hall we receive no benefit from.  More on this when my blood pressure is lower and my frustrations at ‘what could be’ have abated.

 

Puhleeease…..

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.

Two Years On

Here we have Invercargill City Council reserves as at 30 June 2009 (file name creates some confusion of the date though) and courtesy of Tuesday’s Extraordinary Finance and Policy meeting agenda, we have reserves as at 30 June 2011.

I question whether interest is attributed to the appropriate reserve accounts though?  With regards to Bluff related reserves, we have:

2009              2011
Bluff Development Fund                     $37,062           $37,061.66
Bluff Community Bd Rate                    $18,548           $29,571.51
Bluff Service Centre Building              $83,938          $111,946.70
Bluff Pool Refit                                           ——                $31,910.67

Conveniently we have a Bluff Pool loan of $31,800 and a Service Centre loan of $111,500.  They will be cancelling those loans with the reserves (logical).

There is also a Harbour works improvement reserve which I assume means Bluff Harbour.  I wonder what it’s purpose is?  In 2009 it stood at $38,674 and in 2011 it is $38,337.76.  I wonder if they did $300 odd worth of work? lol.  It costs that to pick up the phone in local government doesn’t it?

I can’t say I agree with putting the Bluff Town Hall Rate Reserve in the General category.  They make the statement in the agenda

All other Reserves all into the ‘General’ Reserve category and as such may be used for
purposes other than that currently specified.

I know it doesn’t make much sense but it also states

The majority of the Reserves are held for Council designated purposes. These can be used,
by resolution, for any other specified purpose.

I don’t agree, a Targeted Rate in my view is for that purpose and only that purpose.  While the Town Hall reserve may only be $184.28, it is garnished from the Bluff ratepayers by Council at the request of the Bluff Community Charitable Trust and endorsed and recommended by the Bluff Community Board.  It is the BCCT’s money, shouldn’t it be categorised as Specific Purpose?

I totally disagree with the operation of the BCB and BCCT and the fact that they brought the rate upon us within declaring interests or conflicts and we receive no benefit from the Hall.  One thing I’m sure of though, it is not for Council to, by resolution, use for any other specified purpose.

Flower Show Schedule

Here is the schedule of events for the…(take a breath) Perpetual Real Estate Lands End Garden Club Flower Show in conjunction with The Southland Dahlia Circle!  That’s a mouthful!

The schedule has all the rules and regulations and times and categories.  Unfortunately there is no information on the Bluff Promotions website so I felt it was necessary to get some information out there on the interweb.

Bluff Flower Show – Bluff Town Hall

Money For Bluff

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?

The Misguided Beacon Is Back

We have the return of the local rag for the new year.  Thank goodness I have no expectations of the ‘beacon’ because I fear I would run aground if I presumed to get any substantive information.  The front page has the editor wearing the usual rose-tinted glasses.  I would love to know the numbers on ‘tourism’ because to me the town seemed exceptionally quiet and didn’t the Southland Times report we only had one person at the camping ground?  Well I suppose she would know since the majority of the attractions are things she is affiliated with, the Maritime Museum she appointed herself and one other Board member to, not in compliance with the Trust Deed or requirements of the community board (we won’t worry about the FACTS, ‘that’s how it’s done’), the viewing platform, built by the Bluff Community Charitable Trust, in effect, a community board controlled trust (again self appointed), and the Heritage Trail created by the History Group (that seems to only acknowledge one member).  I can usually deal with the narcissism but to start off the new year with it so in your face makes me wonder if it will get worse as the year progresses.  I wish there was a bit more basis to the information rather than the opinion of someone so out of touch will the issues the town faces.  It is no wonder that nothing progresses because the blinders are on.

If we were more willing to realistically discuss the issues we could move forward.  Meanwhile we have a 2002 concept plan highlighting that tourists ‘do’ the hill, the museum, the point and leave.    Our Board will be leading the implementation of the plan seemingly.  To me it seems like one took it under their wing and did it how they wanted and what can be done has been done (without private sector input).  Ten years on and it’s still the same.

The Board it seems are facing some stick for not being in touch with their residents over the wind farm.  77 FOR and 9 (?) AGAINST.  Funnily enough the Board and I are on the same side on this one.  Slightly different tack though, I have submitted on some other issues but I am primarily putting ‘all my eggs in one basket’ on this issue, allowing this will trivialise the status the District Plan gives to the area and make it difficult to deny ANY other applications.

I hope the rumours I hear are true.  We may have some effective avenues for networking, information and idea exchanges that may actually foster some community involvement being implemented, and no surprise, no Board involvement.  Separate from the ‘rumour’ is my thoughts for the Town Hall which I am working on and will be getting in touch with a few key groups soon (or after the holidays) to get their thoughts.  The pessimist in me always throws in doubts though, I’ll just have to work through that and talk to the right people.