Council replies to 'Twisted Ankle'

Waimarino Bulletin, Volume 1, Issue 8, 26 July 1983, Page 1

Council replies to 'Twisted Ankle'

In last week's edition we published a letter from 'Twisted Ankle' in which the writer claimed that: "the latest set of OBC accounts available to the public show that a figure of $160,600 was allocated for roading and footpaths." The writer than went on to say that: "Ratepayers paid their rates in good faith with the expectation of $160,600 being spent on footpaths and roads," and that because the actual amount spent "was only $87,877, the ratepayers had their footpath and roading money short changed by some $72,723. What the writer implied was that the Ohakune ^irough Council had Ppmehow mis-used or redirected these funds . . . possibly towards administration costs. But what the writer didn't know was that between the publication of "the latest set of OBC accounts available to the public" and "the unaudited accounts for 1983/83" a major project — the Mountain Road Underpass — which was to have been subsidised by the National Roads Board, did not have to be proceeded with, resulting in a saving of $80,000. The Mayor of Ohakune, Mr Bill Taylor, acting in his capacity as Chairman of the Borough Finance Committee wishes, on behalf of his Council and the town clerk to correct any misapprehension that might have been created by this letter from 'Twisted Ankle'. Mr Taylor writes: "As simply as possible I will detail the facts of the matter."

Roading 1981/82 Estimate was $160,000. Of this $156,000 was subsidised by National Roads Board at the rate of 54%. The Borough spent 1981/82 $87,877. The crucial point: $80,000 was returned to the National Roads Board because we did not have to proceed with the Mountain Road Underpass. No option whatsoever existed. Council, through hard endeavour on behalf of the ratepayer (whose share in the cost of this work would have been approximately $25,000 — a higher subsidy rate applied) persuaded the National Roads Board to declare the Borough portion of this road as a Special Purpose Road. A look at the figures will show we in fact exceeded our estimate for roading by some $7,000." "For your interest; the unaudited accounts for 1982/83 (the Audit Department deal with these in their time) shows that in this period we spent $89,218 on roading. We had budgeted $88,800. Not a bad balancing of the books."