Council freephone abused, says Mayor

Ruapehu Bulletin, Volume 9, Issue 413, 19 November 1991, Page 2

Council freephone abused, says Mayor

By Ruapehu District Mayor Garrick Workman I have read with interest the letters published recently in the Bulletin

where concem was expressed about the cancelling of the Council Free Phone. Certainly it was a service provided so free ac-

cess to the main administrative offices was available to southern based ratepayers and residents. However as is the case with many free services the Free-phone service began to be abused. No doubt many of the calls received were from those who had a genuine reason for calling but there were many calls from those who did not. It didn't take long for those residing outside of the district to realise the free-phone worked from all parts of the country. Further, those seeking to do business with the Council whether it be of a professional, commercial or operational nature made the most of it. While there was a need initially to provide southern based residents with the information they sought, direct from Taumarunui, there have been improvements in communication systems due to the connecting of Council Service Centres in Ohakune and Raetihi to the RDC Computer network. As a result much of the information can now be obtained from these two offices. If the need arises for direct communication with Taumarunui then staff at the two service centres will arrange it. In Waiouru messages can be left at Turner's Bookshop and Council staff will contact those concerned as soon as possible. The Free-phone service was costing the Council $500 per month and this expenditure could no longer be justified for the reasons as outlined above. The Waimarino Community Board discussed the matter informally after their last meeting.

Once the explanation was given the Board, if I recall correctly, was unanimous in its agreement with the decision. Those who feel disadvantaged by it though, should remember there are local councillors, community board members and myself to whom concem/ideas can be expressed. Provided people are prepared to use the local offices and their elected representatives I don't believe anyone will be really disadvantaged by the decision to terminate this service. Community Boards and their future The future of Community Boards has provoked a fair amount of discussion around the Council table and predictably the decision to abolish the Boards in favour of non-statutory (Community) Committees has been met with concern, even anger by the majority of Board members throughout the District. I've listened intently to the arguments advanced opposing the Council decision at recent Board meetings. The reality is the workload of Community Boards in this District is limited due to the way the Council is structured because of the District's relatively small population. The District is large, almost 7,000 sq kilometres in area, but much of it is sparsely populated. The Boards meet on a regular basis with the majority of agenda items being urban related. Take Ohura Ward for example. It seems ridiculous to me paying Board members travelling allowance to travel from all around the

Ohura Ward into Taumarunui to discuss issues pertaining to the township of Ohura itself. Most of these should be discussed in Ohura and could be via a Community Committee, while the Rural Roading issues can be addressed as they have in the past by the Ward Councillors, the Council and its Management team. Incidentally this issue first arose as the result of a statutory requirement of Council to notify the local Government elections. At the time I suggested there was a need for just one Community Board in the south of the District that being a combination of the Waimarino and Waiouru Boards. This proposal did not find favour with northern members. There would need to be a balance with a Northern Board as well. Personally I don't accept that argument as the

majority of Councillors reside in the greater Taumarunui area and the Council is run from there. I believe it would make a lot more sense and cost a lot less in dollar terms if Community Committees were established in the north probably in Ohura, National Park and Owhango with one Combined Community Board established in the south. That Board should be delegated as much responsibility as possible including planning. This would ensure local decisions were made down here within the policy framework determined by the Council. In the meantime of course Council has made a decision to abolish all Boards and this decision is able to be appealed by the Boards themselves who may wish to make a submission to the Local Government Commission seeking their retention. In that case

the LGC will arbitrate between the Council and the Community Boards. Health Reform As most people are aware a successful public meeting was held in Raetihi last month explaining the Government's plan for the delivery of Health Services in future. A further public meeting will be held in Waiouru on Wednesday 27 of November at 7.30pm at the Primary School Hall, Queree Drive. I would like to convene meetings at the Raetihi and Maungarongo Maraes as well if that is considered helpful for those who have not attended the previous meetings. The Waimarino and Waiouru Health Watch Committees have been very active, Waimarino in particular, liaising with Community groups and organisations seeking to ascertain the views of the wider public regarding the Core Health Services required in this area and prioritising these. The public are asked as well to comment on funding health services. While many may be cynical about the public consultation process we must make sure our voice is heard. Let's get those submissions in. Let's tell the Government how strongly we feel about the retention of basic Core Health Services for our District