KEY POINTS:
Auckland City councillors Doug Armstrong and Toni Millar are backing a $5 million upgrade of Judges Bay, while slashing spending on fixing sewage overflows at their local St Heliers, Kohimarama and Mission Bay beaches.
The two Citizens & Ratepayers councillors from the eastern bays have voted to cut $86 million from stormwater improvements over the next decade, which will result in sewage overflows at the popular swimming beaches occurring for years longer than planned.
They also voted with their C&R colleagues and Mayor John Banks for a $5 million upgrade of Judges Bay in the neighbouring ward of Hobson.
The upgrade of the historic bay along Tamaki Drive is one of the few new items in a 10-year budget that contains $800 million of cuts. It has been promoted by local C&R councillor Aaron Bhatnagar.
When asked how she could support Judges Bay and cut environmental improvements to local beaches, Toni Millar paused and said: "I don't know what the hell I'm going to say."
She said the council was acting in the overall best interests of the city and that meant cutting some projects.
Mr Armstrong, who as finance committee chairman is overseeing the budget cuts to hold rates to inflation, said stemming sewage overflows at swimming beaches would be put back, but stressed the council still planned to spend $240 million over 10 years on stormwater. He supported an upgrade of Judges Bay, which "has been stinking and is in poor shape". But if the public wanted the $5 million to go into stormwater, "we will listen to them".
Public consultation on the 10-year budget starts next April.
Mr Bhatnagar said he was proud that Judges Bay had come to the fore through the Parnell Community Committee, Hobson Community Board and council processes. Funds for a $3.5 million park at nearby Teal Park would be diverted to help pay for Judges Bay.
Upgrading Judges Bay would add to improvements from the $118 million project by the regional water and wastewater company, Watercare Services, to replace the ageing sewer line crossing Hobson Bay.
C&R is proposing to fast-track Judges Bay on to next year's work programme when scores of other projects, including swimming pools, libraries and footpaths, are being cut or deferred indefinitely.
Mr Banks tore into former mayor Dick Hubbard in front of eastern bays residents at last year's local body elections for "pumping human body waste" longer than necessary on to local beaches. He promised voters to improve beaches and water quality.
The city's stormwater assets are valued at $1.3 billion. Mr Banks proposes to cut stormwater spending by a third next year, from $35.5 million to $23.3 million. The cuts are driven by the phasing out of the controversial "charitable payments" from the council-owned water company, Metrowater, and a sharp fall in stormwater development
