Editorial: Track problem to prove costly

Surely someone was responsible for choosing the right sort of surface for the track, writes Anita Moran.

Tauranga ratepayers hope the money they dish out to the council is spent wisely.

We vote for our elected members in the hope they know what is in our best interests and how to spend the money we give them in our rates payments.

In yesterday's Bay of Plenty Times it was reported that Tauranga ratepayers could be left holding a bill worth nearly $400,000 after the disclosure that the wrong type of surface was chosen for the city's only artificial running track.

The six-year-old track on The Domain was originally expected to last 15 years but this had now shrunk to nine years, with the council and Tauranga Millennium Track Trust now looking at going halves for a replacement worth $790,000.

Two councillors opposed the decision for the council to pick up half the costs, with Catherine Stewart wanting to limit the council's contribution to $198,000 - a quarter of the replacement track's cost. Bill Grainger also voted against the move.

It is frustrating that ratepayers are having to foot the bill.

Wednesday's meeting agreed to go out for public consultation on funding half the costs of the replacement track in three years, subject to the Millennium Trust raising the rest of the money. The council also agreed to fully fund depreciation of the track which, on current estimates, was $60,000 a year. This was to avoid a repeat of the situation where the council suddenly faced a big replacement bill.

It is disappointing something such as this can happen. Surely someone was responsible for choosing the right sort of surface for the track.

Ratepayer money could be spent on much better things than a new surface for the track - something which could have been avoided if the right decisions were made in the initial process, when building the track.

More thought and care needs to be considered when spending ratepayer money, Tauranga residents don't want to have to fork out for repairs and spending which was avoidable.