Operating expenditure is at an all-time high—Income is not matching this expenditure

As Councillors, you have two options: increase rates or reduce expenditure.

Once again you’ve chosen to increase rates
The easy option
The staff’s preferred option.
This is so easy to do for a monopoly with no competition.

Seriously look at reducing expenditure, please consider reducing expenditure.

I’m not talking about tinkering at the edges — I’m talking about some serious reductions.

For example:
Scrap the ill-thought-out Town Centre upgrade; savings $2.1 million this current year, a staggering $38 million over 12 years!

Secondly; KCDC needs an independent review of its organisational structure and systems, with the goals of efficiency, effectiveness and productivity.

Debt is ballooning, staff costs and numbers are rocketing like it’s Guy Fawkes night, consultants are sucking up precious capital.

Rates rises must be kept to below 4 percent.
A strong and determination effort must be made to reduce expenditure.”