Debt mustn't stifle leadership: Dillon

Mary Dillon is a former councillor. Photo / File

The Tauranga City Council has been urged not to "stifle innovation and intelligent long-term thinking" with its focus on debt reduction.

Outspoken former councillor Mary Dillon said there was a disconnect between the council and the community and she urged the council to take advantage of the $62 million reduction in debt when Route K became a state highway.

"You need to think about the whole city and how you distribute rates," Mrs Dillon said yesterday.

The council's 10-year plan contained no investments in community development projects for the entire southeastern side of the city, including Welcome Bay and Ohauiti, she said.

She supported the Welcome Bay Community Centre's submission on the 2015-25 plan. The centre has asked the council to fix drainage problems that made Owens Park unusable. The 2.5-hectare park was behind the Welcome Bay Primary School.

Mrs Dillon said the council was wrapped in debt and it needed to change the mantle it had put on its shoulders and think about the wellbeing of Tauranga.

"Its mantra should be innovative, inspiring leadership."

Growth and the management of debt had been an issue for the city since the 1980s and needed to be carefully managed, Mrs Dillon said.

"But it should not stifle innovation and intelligent long-term thinking."

She asked the council to think more carefully about the proposal not to fund solutions for some flood-prone properties. There seemed to be a real inequity that there would not be enough money for people who had waited patiently for years, she said.

"Most people are unaware of your thinking on stormwater."

On the issue of the future of the civic block since toxic mould was discovered last year in many areas of the building, she urged councillors to consider all the issues surrounding the building.

Mrs Dillon questioned whether a better long-term option was a complete redesign and rebuild, including looking at Willow St and Masonic Park - in line with the city-centre strategy.

She opposed Cliff Rd being the proposed museum's site, saying Tauranga's real history was the confluence of the land and water and the museum should be in the downtown, where it would attract more visitors.

The council will decide on her submissions next month.

Welcome Bay's objectives for Owens Park
•Reinstate as a neighbourhood reserve and usable community area
•Rehabilitate the Waioraka Stream as a sustainable ecosystem
Explore potential for community assets such as a community garden
•Develop walkway/cycleway to Tye Park