People who dump rubbish on the rural roads that divide the city and the Manawatu District Council are coming under the close scrutiny of both Councils.

The Head of the City Council’s Environmental Protection Services, Wayne Jameson, says the problem of dumping rubbish is gradually getting worse and both Councils are determined to identify who is littering the rural roads.

In the last few weeks the Councils have erected signs warning people that camera surveillance has been introduced. A mobile camera has been installed on one of the roads where rubbish is being dumped and will be moved regularly to other targets.

People who dump rubbish on the rural roads that divide the city and the Manawatu District Council are coming under the close scrutiny of both Councils.

The Head of the City Council’s Environmental Protection Services, Wayne Jameson, says the problem of dumping rubbish is gradually getting worse and both Councils are determined to identify who is littering the rural roads.

In the last few weeks the Councils have erected signs warning people that camera surveillance has been introduced. A mobile camera has been installed on one of the roads where rubbish is being dumped and will be moved regularly to other targets.

I had previously posted my opinion on The Standard editorial that attacked the council CEO but recent events illustrate why our CEO got fed up with this council and resigned. Working with 16 “bosses” is a difficult enough task for anyone. Working with 16 employers when a very small number of them are continually critical, not of the work you do but of who you are, is a situation I hope to never find myself in.

Two distinctive playgrounds will be installed in Palmerston North from early April following valuable feedback from surrounding neighbours.

The junior playgrounds for children up to eight years of age will be erected in Hokowhitu Domain and Farnham Reserve, Takaro and will be completed by the end of the financial year (June 30).

When the Council approved their installation to replace existing playgrounds, staff consulted residents in the immediate vicinity through personal visits and a leaflet drop.

In all 190 leaflets were distributed around Farnham Reserve and 110 around Hokowhitu Domain and recommendations from people were incorporated into the final design.

Organizers for the Student City Day Concert featuring the Black Seeds and Hollie Smith are expecting a huge crowd to the Square this Saturday evening. With good weather forecasted and the Hurricanes in town on the same day last years total of 5000 attendants looks sure to be topped. The concert which is sponsored by PNCC, Massey, UCOL, AS@U, MUSA, ZM and @ the Hub is the highlight of O week and brings Orientation to a close with a huge bang this Saturday evening.

The elected members of Palmerston North City Council have only one employee - the Chief Executive Officer. In the latter stages of Jill White’s term as Mayor, Mr Paul Wylie was appointed to this position. As CEO, he is responsible for employing staff, so while the elected council has one employee, the CEO has hundreds. It is a testament to Paul Wylie that he has taken the organisation through a period of great change while ensuring that PNCC has extremely capable staff and a management team that is arguably the best in the country. Most of this team have been with the council for many years. They do an excellent job for the city and it is largely due to their expert advice to council that we have a city that is prospering and growing.

“Local Government New Zealand is showing real leadership on the leaky homes issue,” says its President, Basil Morrison. “We have been closely engaged in the issue and the implications for councils and homeowners since 2003.”

The organisation has been trying to engage Government in discussions on possible risk-sharing mechanisms to manage the ‘leaky homes’ issue. The latest example of this was through Local Government New Zealand’s submission to the Select Committee considering the Weathertight Homes Bill in October 2006, the organisation was not successful in achieving change to the current legal situation on liability.

Councillors and staff had a full day workshop on 8th February, to discuss the Draft Annual Plan. This Annual Plan is Year 2 of the LTCCP (Long Term Council Community Plan). At the beginning of the workshop, the councillors and Mayor were faced with an unpalatable truth - the decisions made throughout the first nine months of the ten year plan, many of which incurred expenditure that was not budgeted for, had resulted in a likely rates increase of 17.8%.

Elected members were warned that while we insist that management and staff stick to budgets, working within tight budgets means that the Mayor and councillors also have to be disciplined with their spending.

This last month has seen me shaking my head in disbelief as I read the local newspapers. There has been so much misinformation that I really doubt the wisdom of any of us thinking we are getting “news” or factual information when we read the paper these days. A pattern seems to be emerging whereby one local newspaper makes front page “news” with sensationalised stories that have little bearing on fact, then a few days later “corrects” the story with a small update. This appears to be making some councillors and councillor wannabes very excited and its clear that the election campaign, for many, is already well under way. I’m already getting sick of the electioneering - and we have the best part of nine months to go!

On 18th October, at an Extraordinary Meeting of the Infrastructural Well-Being Committee, Palmerston North City Council voted to proceed with the change of purpose of the Turitea Reserve to add an additional local purpose - renewable energy generation.