The Tauranga City Council administration building on Willow St. Photo / File
As of midnight, there has been a transfer of power at the Tauranga City Council.
A four-person commission, appointed by the Government, has replaced the people the voters elected to govern the city - well, the eight that remain of the original elected 11 after three resignations.
The commission will be chaired by Anne Tolley, who is joined by Bill Wasley, Stephen Selwood and Shadrach Rolleston.
Here's what we've learned about the handover, and about what happens from here:
What happens to the councillors?
The elected members can no longer act in their roles and have no official responsibilities.
They get to keep their titles until the next election in 2022, but in name only.
Otherwise, it's like leaving any other job: They lose their car parks, their council email addresses will be disestablished and their access to other council systems revoked. They will need to return any council-owned phones, laptops and swipe cards they have.
Their pay will stop on February 10, the day after the commission is gazetted.
So is that just it for them? Sayonara?
For now, yes, although some have indicated they want to stay engaged with city issues.
There is a way some might wind up back on the council's payroll: The commission can set up committees and can invite elected representatives to sit on these, for which they can be paid.
What about the by-election?
The appointment of the commission ends the by-election, before it had really begun.
How long will the commission be here?
Their term runs until the next election in 2022, but it could be extended.
Government officials have suggested it could remain in place until the 2025 election as part of a transition back to full democracy.
Another option was appointing a Crown manager to help an elected council with the transition.
Central Government appointed them, will it pay them, too?
No, the council will pay the four commissioners, which ultimately means ratepayers foot the bill - as they did for the 11 elected members' remuneration, until now.
The money will come from the remuneration pool the elected members were paid from, which is administered under the council's democracy budget.
How much will they get?
The Government has set the commission's pay at up to $1800 a day for the chairperson and up to $1500 a day for the other commissioners.
This is more than the Government standard for this type of role. The Government says this is because the role is likely to be high profile and because of the level of expertise needed to deliver on the terms of reference and the time commitment required.
The commission can also make claims for reasonable expenses.
Is it a full-time gig?
No. They have been told to expect a higher workload at the start, with the chair working three or four days a week and the commissioners two or three.
That's while they finish one of the biggest jobs they have been sent to do: Producing a "robust and fit for purpose" long-term plan 2021-31.
This 10-year-plan started being drafted last year (big rates rises were forecast) but the commission will see it through the process of being finalised for consultation, sent out for community feedback, re-evaluated, then signed off, by June 30.
After that, the workload was expected to reduce to a day or two a week.
A couple of the commissioners don't live in Tauranga - Anne Tolley lives in Ōhope and Stephen Selwood is from Auckland. We don't know how much time they will spend in the city.
How much power will the commission have?
A fair bit. The commission will have all the functions and powers a mayor or councillor would have by law, and can exercise the power of the local authority to set and collect rates, then spend the proceeds.
Usual statutory provisions for Crown appointees still apply and, as far as practicable, they have to ensure "that the existing organisational capability of the local authority is not diminished".
What are these 'Terms of Reference'?
Instructions for the commission from the Government. The terms set out the powers of the commission and its role, among other parameters. The role is the most interesting bit:
- determine a mechanism for engaging with the community, iwi, elected representatives and other stakeholders to rebuild confidence and trust in the council;
- deliver a robust and fit-for-purpose 2021-31 Long-Term Plan that adequately prioritises the needs of the community, city and region;
- continue to identify the extent of the problems faced by the council and engage in existing council initiatives or other actions to address these issues;
- continue to work with the council chief executive to build capability and capacity within the council organisation;
- actively seek to collaborate and co-operate with other local authorities to further achieve the objectives of agreed plans and strategies to manage transport and urban development in a high-growth region (including, but not limited to, Smartgrowth, the Urban Form and Transport Initiative, and the Western Bay of Plenty Transport System Plan);
- develop a clear and comprehensive exit plan to facilitate a smooth transition back to an elected council; and
- any other tasks the commission determines to be necessary to restore the trust and confidence of the community in the council.
Will the commission have public meetings?
We don't know yet, but previous commissions appointed to other councils did.
According to the council, so far all the commissioners have booked in for their first week is a meeting with each other and with the council's senior management team.
Will I, a resident, be able to ring commissioners up with my opinions/questions about trees/rates/rubbish?
That's still to be determined. Councillors had their contact information published on the council's website, but it's not yet known if the commissioners will follow suit.
Will the community get a say in decisions?
All of the normal formal consultation procedures set out in the Local Government Act will apply. So, if a rates rise, for example, is proposed there will be consultation.
We don't yet know how the commission will approach more informal ways to get feedback from the community. Will they hold coffee catch-ups with residents? Read the letters to the editor? Do Facebook Live videos? Unclear.
The commission appointed in Kaipara, for example, met with established resident and ratepayer groups. There are a few of these around Tauranga, too, so that's another option.
An experienced boatie died when his boat capsized on Tairua bar in January 2022.