Waiouru board wants monthly meetings

Ruapehu Bulletin, Volume 7, Issue 340, 19 June 1990, Page 8

Waiouru board wants monthly meetings

Community Boards should meet monthly, if only to provide experience for board members.

That was the feeling among Waiouru Community Board members when they discussed the Ruapehu District Council's proposal to cut financial and administrative support to a maximum of eight meetings per year. The board resolved to continue to meet

monthly and to ask that support continue. Member Murray Fitchett said he felt cutting meetings to a six-weekly cycle was a backward step for Waiouru. He said they need to hold regular public meetings so people knew where they are at. "If you miss one

meeting you're three or four months down the track before another one and you could easily lose touch with what's happening," said Brian Webb. "We're all (the Waiouru board) new to this and we need as much experience as we can get," said Fitchett. He said the next step could be six meetings a year, then quarterly, then annually then none.

Chairman Bobby Vine said leaving things the extra time would probably not cause a crisis but that interest in council matters, both by the public and members, would decline. Some board members said they would be prepared to continue meeting without support, but the final motion was to ask for the support to continue. "The salaries are cut right out - at least they could pay the meeting

allowance," said Fitchett. Waiouru board member resigns Waiouru Community Board member Kate Hutchinson has left the area so has handed her resignation in to the board. Chairman Bobby Vine said, though he was unhappy to do so, the board had no choice but to accept her resignation.

The board deciaed to approach the highest polling unsuccessful candidate in the last election to ask him if he would take up the position. Waiouru subdivision back on the drawing board Waiouru's subdivision is back in the active file, with the Ruapehu District Council looking to develop six of the 28 sections.

The cost of the first stage of the development is estimated at $98,579 which area manager Don Sattler said would be relatively high, though costs for the second six would be relatively low. He said putting in the services, road works and earth works would have to be done for all initially, even for just the six. But later section development would be much cheaper because those services would already be there, he said.