'Gold plated' chamber plan ditched ahead of budget cuts

Andrew McKenzie. Photo / Steven McNicholl

Auckland councillors have dumped a $1 million "gold-plated" upgrade of a council chamber ahead of a round of belt-tightening to hold rates to 3.9 per cent next year.

Councillors are bracing themselves for the opening of the books next week when they will be asked to make budget cuts of $47 million to keep rates affordable.

Adding to their woes is a heads-up from finance general manager Andrew McKenzie that the council's financial position is not flash with deficits of between $47 million and $127 million expected over the next seven years.

Mr McKenzie yesterday made a thinly-veiled attack on the spending and borrowing practices of some previous councils and suggested the price would be cuts to new community projects.

Faced with budget cuts of $47 million to reduce the projected rates increase from 6 per cent to 3.9 per cent next year, councillors were in no mood yesterday for an upgrade on a reception lounge at the Auckland Town Hall for the main council chamber.

The plan, presented by officers with support from Mayor Len Brown, involved spending up to $1 million on acoustic, audio visual and physical improvements.

Citizens & Ratepayers co-leader Jami-Lee Ross said councillors had to decide first-up whether they wanted to be a cost-cutting council or a council that spent money willy-nilly.

"Let's not gold-plate this meeting room," he said.

Other councillors noted state-of-the-art council chamber facilities were sitting idle at the old Waitakere, North Shore, Manukau and Auckland Regional Council buildings. It was suggested some of the furniture could be moved to the town hall.

The decision to make "necessary minimal cost-effective alterations" to the reception lounge was followed by a presentation from a group seeking $19 million towards a world-standard indoor cycling track.

The group hoping to bid for a $35 million velodrome at the Trusts Stadium in Henderson went away empty handed at this stage after a rare display of unity between right-wing C&R and left-wing City Vision councillors.

The votes were enough to ensure funding for the velodrome, including $200,000 for a feasibility study, is delayed until the opening of the books at a two-day workshop where councillors will start prioritising a long wishlist of capital projects.