Palmerston North City Council voting across traditional lines: Stefan Speller

Stefan Speller says the Streets for People project in The Square, from Main St to The Plaza, has achieved little that is positive. Photo / Judith Lacy

OPINION

Palmerston North City Council has once again decided to continue CBD upgrades known as Streets for People.

This time it was the road and footpaths around The Square, costing $22 million, and between Cafe Cuba intersection and CET Arena, costing $5.7m. But the ballooning cost split the council down unusual lines.

Seven voted to allocate $0 to the projects in the draft long-term plan: Mark Arnott, Lew Findlay, Lorna Johnson (Labour), Billy Meehan, Karen Naylor, William Wood and Kaydee Zabelin (Greens).

Eight voted to continue to fund the projects: Brent Barrett (Greens), Rachel Bowen, Roly Fitzgerald, Pat Handcock, Leonie Hapeta, Debi Marshall-Lobb, Orphee Mickalad and Mayor Grant Smith.

The vote showed a strong division of opinions between councillors of all stripes. There were Greens-endorsed, Labour-endorsed and aligned, and National-aligned councillors on both sides of the vote.

This was the second attempt to cut the Streets for People project. The first was in June after the upgrade from Main St to The Plaza was completed. The total project cost estimate had then increased to $48 million and was supported with a seven to five vote.

This was just one project that councillors have locked horns over.

Some spending, like a much-needed CCTV upgrade and replacement in the CBD, will have a direct impact on inner city and business safety. It can be used by the council and police to review issues and crime, and plan for future safety improvements. Ratepayers can more easily get behind a spend that has such a direct impact on our city.

It is a difficult time for councils across the country, but especially for Palmerston North. There are significant unknowns with the replacement for Three Waters funding, especially with 62km of sewer mains now more than 100 years old. There are escalating project costs and anxiety from ratepayers around rates and the cost of living.

During the debate last week, Smith spoke of the need for the Streets for People upgrades as some of the footpaths were 38 years old. Bowen said that council investment in the CBD was important to attract external investors, like Safari Group which is renovating the old post office building.

We do need investment in some of our roading and city centre. But as the Main St to Plaza upgrade achieved, in my view, little other than effectively blocking the Coffee Club roundabout, it has become a hard sell with the community.

Naylor, a registered nurse, expressed the impact of potential cost increases for ratepayers. She said members of her workplace had asked “Do your colleagues not have common sense to realise that we can’t afford our mortgages and our groceries, let alone those sort of rates increases.”

As for the Streets for People, it lives another day, although only just. Councillors are considering each project seriously, and voting across - rather than along - party and traditional lines. With a desire to keep rates increases moderate, but also meet service expectations and plan for the future, the council is setting a difficult 10-year tightrope to walk.

Stefan Speller is a Palmerston North governance board chairman, speaker and local government commentator.