County snags compromise on amalgamation issue
Members of the steering committee studying the amalgamation of the three councils in the Waimarino met again last Tuesday and found they agreed on just about everything except representation. The members, who were bringing back responses from their individual councils, found the representation issue a major sticking point. Raetihi mayor Garrick Workman said that the Raetihi Borough Council did not want to hold up progress towards a new district council, but could not agree on the allocation of six representatives from Waimarino County, five from Ohakune Borough and four from Raetihi Borough. "There is no way Raetihi can ratify the six, five, four allocation," he said. Several Waimarino Coun-, ty representatives said that the extra workload of their rural area justified extra representatives. "We have not deprived Raetihi of their original number (four), but taking workload into account six, five, four is better," said Bruce Berry. Cr Gould said she could not understand the workload argument, and she did not think the ward system meant councillors worked only in their own wards. "1 thought the whole district was everybody's responsibility," she said. In the vigoro.us debate which followed several councillors suggested that a combined meeting of all three councils should consider the representation problem, or that the Local Body Commission should be asked to arbitrate. Chairman of the meeting,
Ohakune mayor Bill Taylor, pointed out that any extra time would mean missing the October 1 deadline. "There may be no possibility of forming a district council before the next local body elections in October 1986," he said. The issue was finally passed with Raetihi members Mr Workman, and Councillors Compton and Punch, recording their dissent. There was unanimous agreement on the other issues — the three ward system, the election of a mayor at large, immediate action on the appointment of an executive officer and the siting of the main administrative office in Ohakune. All councils agreed that a decision on the name for the new council should be deferred pending the results of a survey conducted by the Bulletin this week. The steering committee was left with the problem of how to continue with the district council proposal when Raetihi Borough completely disagreed on representation. The problem was resolved by sending a letter to the Local Body Commission asking that the district council be set up. The letter, which was signed by Waimarino County Council Chairman Bruce Berry, Raetihi Mayor Garrick Workman and Ohakune Mayor Bill Taylor, explained the areas of agreement reached by the three coucils, and pointed out that Raetihi Borough did not agree on the representation proposal. However, Raetihi mayor Garrick Workman told the meeting of the Raetihi Borough Council on Wednesday, that Local Government Commission Chairman Brian Elwood had told him by telephone, that
unless the three councils agreed on representation by Tuesday (today), the commission would be unable to ensure that the district council was established by the time of the council elections in October 1986. Late last week both Ohakune and Raetihi Borough Councils agreed on a compromise formula giving the county six members and Ohakune and Raetihi Boroughs five each. However a Waimarino County meeting on Saturday did not go along with the compromise and backed their earlier suggestion of six to the county, five to Ohakune and four to Raetihi. Raetihi mayor Garrick Workman said yesterday
that he was annoyed and disappointed that "we must now give away amalgamation in the meantime, or call in the commission to arbitrate." "They (the County) argued that 6,5,4 was necessary because of the workload factor — but if they were genuine in that they wouldn't worry if Raetihi had one more anyway," he said. "I find it incredible they are so resolute about it." Mr Workman said he favours another meeting of the steering committee at which Brian Elwood, chairman of the Local Government Commission, should be invited.
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Waimarino Bulletin, Volume 3, Issue 19, 1 October 1985, Page 3
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648County snags compromise on amalgamation issue Waimarino Bulletin, Volume 3, Issue 19, 1 October 1985, Page 3
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