1 00:00:00,080 --> 00:00:02,920 Speaker 1: Another scrap for Regional New Zealand. They well, the call 2 00:00:02,960 --> 00:00:04,320 Speaker 1: has been made in horror of f anyway that you've 3 00:00:04,320 --> 00:00:05,880 Speaker 1: got to mow your own booms. Now it's going to 4 00:00:05,880 --> 00:00:08,080 Speaker 1: save the council two hundred and forty thousand dollars a year, 5 00:00:08,119 --> 00:00:09,760 Speaker 1: but it's leaving parts of the town apparently in a 6 00:00:09,760 --> 00:00:11,200 Speaker 1: bit of a tip to the horror finaw a district 7 00:00:11,200 --> 00:00:12,520 Speaker 1: Council of Sam Jennings with us. 8 00:00:12,560 --> 00:00:12,760 Speaker 2: Sam. 9 00:00:12,800 --> 00:00:14,640 Speaker 1: Good morning, morning, Mike. 10 00:00:14,680 --> 00:00:15,520 Speaker 2: How are you going very well? 11 00:00:15,520 --> 00:00:18,040 Speaker 1: Indeed, how controversial was the decision itself? 12 00:00:19,079 --> 00:00:21,680 Speaker 2: Well, the decision itself was pretty pretty quiet. It was 13 00:00:21,920 --> 00:00:24,079 Speaker 2: made as part of the long term plan and we 14 00:00:24,160 --> 00:00:27,960 Speaker 2: had about four hundred people make submissions. About three hundred 15 00:00:27,960 --> 00:00:30,360 Speaker 2: and fifty or eighty eight percent we're in favor of 16 00:00:30,720 --> 00:00:34,159 Speaker 2: the Council's moved to make some cuts and indeed try 17 00:00:34,200 --> 00:00:36,879 Speaker 2: and make some more cuts. But it's all blown up 18 00:00:36,920 --> 00:00:40,240 Speaker 2: on social media just recently, I guess because of the spring. 19 00:00:40,000 --> 00:00:43,400 Speaker 1: Growth social media. Eh, so you're telling me of submissions, 20 00:00:43,440 --> 00:00:45,760 Speaker 1: eighty eight percent wanted you to cut the mowing of 21 00:00:45,800 --> 00:00:46,760 Speaker 1: the booms. 22 00:00:46,960 --> 00:00:50,680 Speaker 2: Absolutely, and among other things, we had some really tough 23 00:00:50,680 --> 00:00:54,400 Speaker 2: decisions around potentially closing and reducing hours of facilities like 24 00:00:54,480 --> 00:00:59,639 Speaker 2: libraries and pools, selling carbon credits, increasing fees that kind 25 00:00:59,680 --> 00:01:02,160 Speaker 2: of thing. So yeah, there was a range of range 26 00:01:02,200 --> 00:01:04,160 Speaker 2: of cuts and increases proposed. 27 00:01:04,440 --> 00:01:06,040 Speaker 1: Do you still supply rubbish bins? 28 00:01:07,760 --> 00:01:10,280 Speaker 2: No? We so that that is outsourced to a to 29 00:01:10,319 --> 00:01:11,039 Speaker 2: the private market. 30 00:01:11,520 --> 00:01:13,120 Speaker 1: So in a part, do you have a rubbish bin 31 00:01:13,200 --> 00:01:14,280 Speaker 1: that's cleared at all or not? 32 00:01:15,160 --> 00:01:15,959 Speaker 2: Yes, yes we do. 33 00:01:16,080 --> 00:01:19,680 Speaker 1: We still have because they don't collect rubbish in Auckland 34 00:01:19,680 --> 00:01:22,000 Speaker 1: anymore and they don't supply rubbish bins and the whole 35 00:01:22,000 --> 00:01:24,560 Speaker 1: thing is a complete cluster. So at least you're better 36 00:01:24,560 --> 00:01:26,720 Speaker 1: off than us. It's two hundred and forty thousand dollars 37 00:01:26,760 --> 00:01:29,319 Speaker 1: as a thing for a horror FANUA council. That is 38 00:01:29,319 --> 00:01:33,080 Speaker 1: that a worthwhile saving? I mean is that what percentage 39 00:01:33,080 --> 00:01:33,959 Speaker 1: of a budget is that? 40 00:01:34,760 --> 00:01:38,399 Speaker 2: So that was about half a percent of rates, So yeah, 41 00:01:38,720 --> 00:01:42,480 Speaker 2: it is certainly a decent amount of money. But in 42 00:01:42,520 --> 00:01:45,920 Speaker 2: combination we were steering down the barrel of a twenty 43 00:01:45,959 --> 00:01:51,080 Speaker 2: four percent rate increase, driven mostly by insurance interest cost appreciation. 44 00:01:51,920 --> 00:01:54,760 Speaker 2: But we got that down to sixteen point six percent. 45 00:01:55,880 --> 00:01:58,600 Speaker 2: And you know, we have done some things like we're 46 00:01:58,640 --> 00:02:02,800 Speaker 2: closing cent facilities on a Sunday, and there's been a 47 00:02:02,840 --> 00:02:05,800 Speaker 2: seven percent reduction in our workforce, so about a million 48 00:02:05,840 --> 00:02:09,720 Speaker 2: dollars saving and employee costs. So there's been some pretty 49 00:02:09,760 --> 00:02:11,360 Speaker 2: tough decisions to be honest. 50 00:02:11,120 --> 00:02:12,040 Speaker 1: Good what's your debt. 51 00:02:13,360 --> 00:02:16,640 Speaker 2: So we're one of the one of probably one of 52 00:02:15,919 --> 00:02:20,679 Speaker 2: the worst in terms of debt debt capacity, and yeah, 53 00:02:20,680 --> 00:02:24,400 Speaker 2: we look, we're we're really pretty constrained. We've we've invested 54 00:02:24,400 --> 00:02:29,079 Speaker 2: a lot in water supply and and and wastewater. One 55 00:02:29,120 --> 00:02:33,240 Speaker 2: of the few councils that discharged to land and not 56 00:02:33,320 --> 00:02:37,960 Speaker 2: into waterways. So we've got some big debt numbers. But 57 00:02:38,840 --> 00:02:42,040 Speaker 2: we're also in a significant growth phase, so seeing a 58 00:02:42,040 --> 00:02:42,799 Speaker 2: lot of development. 59 00:02:43,240 --> 00:02:46,040 Speaker 1: Exactly, yeah, exactly, all right, Sam Good Insight, apreciate very much. 60 00:02:46,080 --> 00:02:48,079 Speaker 1: Sam Jennings. Horror for who are district councilor I've never 61 00:02:48,160 --> 00:02:51,040 Speaker 1: understood why if you have a house and you got 62 00:02:51,040 --> 00:02:52,919 Speaker 1: a boom outside of you're mowing your own lawns while 63 00:02:52,960 --> 00:02:54,760 Speaker 1: you're not mowing the boom. It seems the weirdest thing 64 00:02:54,840 --> 00:02:56,520 Speaker 1: unless youve got a house that has no lawn at 65 00:02:56,560 --> 00:02:58,799 Speaker 1: all and you were responsible for the boom outside. And 66 00:02:58,840 --> 00:03:00,840 Speaker 1: I just can't imagine there are that any houses around 67 00:03:00,880 --> 00:03:03,280 Speaker 1: with literally no lawn but a boom outside, and suddenly 68 00:03:03,280 --> 00:03:05,200 Speaker 1: you gotta try and find somebody to do your lawna 69 00:03:05,200 --> 00:03:07,480 Speaker 1: buy yourself a weed wacker or a launa. It's a 70 00:03:07,520 --> 00:03:09,200 Speaker 1: strange thing that people get upset about. 71 00:03:09,680 --> 00:03:12,600 Speaker 2: For more from The Mic Asking Breakfast, listen live to 72 00:03:12,720 --> 00:03:15,760 Speaker 2: news talks it Be from six am weekdays, or follow 73 00:03:15,800 --> 00:03:17,720 Speaker 2: the podcast on iHeartRadio.