The increasing financial cost is horrendous, as too are the lost jobs and opportunities.
Mayor Dalton has turned his outrageous comments into an art form - all to get a headline, which he continues to do.
Bugger the facts.
The latest was to state, as a fact, that any claims of savings were "absolute garbage".
This from a person who actively promoted the dud Deco Bay buses which cost the ratepayers over $1 million in costs and losses over two years.
As chair of the MTG fundraising committee he got millions of dollars from central Government and local councils on the basis of the facility being visited by 690,000 paying patrons each year.
This is the stuff of legend among other local authorities, as the actual number is just 3 per cent of that budgeted.
As a result Napier ratepayers will be paying out millions a year for ever to keep the doors open.
But I digress. No less than three independent studies, from Graham Nahkies, the Winder report (that the NCC fully supported and was agreed by consensus by the five councils) and the Stimpson and Co report for the LGC have clearly stated that annual savings of $10 million will accrue once amalgamation is complete.
If he took the time to read and understand the final proposal, page 15, he would know where the $10 million a year savings would be derived from.
That is 67 per cent from corporate, personal and activities alone.
A prime example of $6.7 million in savings is due to the fact that currently we have six CEOs (including HBRIC) who cost us over $2 million in packages. One alone recently received an $80,000 increase, bringing his salary up to almost the same as our Prime Minister.
This one salary is almost on par to that of the Christchurch CEO who is administrating over a multibillion-dollar rebuild of that devastated city.
Other more progressive regions with three, five and 10 times the population get by with one CEO " why can't we?
Salaries are but one issue, what has to also be calculated is the staff to support each CEO, the mandatory car, travel and entertainment.
Additionally, we have over 50 senior staff on packages of between $100,000-$250,000 who will be surplus to requirements, duplicating services while spending 100 per cent of their time protecting their own patch.
Four mayors and a regional chair on packages totalling nearly $700,000 a year continually fighting and squabbling while enjoying the privileges of the Koru Club on their many jaunts both nationally and internationally.
And 23 per cent from capital and operational expenditure that targets our five antiquated computer systems which require millions being spent annually on repair and replacement. One system would do the job of the current five.
Also, 10 per cent from governance and audit costs covers mayoral packages, and the five unelected Maori committees. One Maori committee is all that is required - not the current five.
The NCC Rates News which arrived this week notes that residential rates will increase at the rate of 3.8 per cent a year, or five times the rate of inflation.
This is ruinous to both residents and businesses alike, and will increase if amalgamation fails to occur.
We do not need a prima donna to continually tear the region apart with fact-free opinions in a Machiavellian quest to protect his own position and the baubles of office.
If Dalton disagrees with this summation, then I challenge him to a public debate in the council chambers.
-John Harrison is a former Napier City councillor and a founding member of pro-amalgamation group, A Better Hawke's Bay.
-Views expressed here are the writer's opinion, and not the newspaper's. Email: editor@hbtoday.co.nz
-Viewpoints on the Hawke's Bay amalgamation debate can be submitted for consideration and will be used as long as no council resources, money, time or expertise are used in their preparation. This is a requirement of the Local Government Act 2002.
