The Council are opportunists.

[McDuck]

After watching the morning show this week, and hearing about this new "Rubbish tax", I decided that the council are in many ways, a bunch of self serving opportunists.

latching on to any problem in order to collect more revenue.

Revenue alone does not solve problems.

It can cause as many as it solves, in fact.

I know it's not easy to get a city running well.

But they need to get their S*** sorted out before they come with an outstretched hand.

I'm pretty offended that they use this genuine public concern to cover their management shortcomings.

[Bob Kane]

Councils don't have any competition.
They have an unlimited and guaranteed supply of revenue.
They have no boundaries on what work they want to do.
They are accountable to no-one.
Given the above, what's the chance that they behave in a responsible and respectful manner?

[elguapo]

A rather good summary from Bob.

[eri]

council are on a mission to reduce inequality + emissions

they feel central gov. has either dropped the ball or has its hands tied by the realities of the only democracy that most voters feel matters

so council feel a moral imperative to spend rates as fast as possible on their self-selected NEW core 'social' responsibilities

of course because these new social responsibilities are fuzzy, they are not costed

so rates get shuffled from the old CORE responsibilities to new CORE responsibilities

surprise, surprise the old CORE responsibilities really are CORE, and can't runwithout enough funding

so pre-election promises on rate + tax rises are broken in the name of needing to keep the city functioning

labour + greens starting to do the same in wellington, (why not, the electorate is too ignorant/greedy to hold them to their "promises")

so the budget responsibility pledge is about to be broken

the coalition will load up on debt, for the good of all

to be paid back further down the track by tax rises on the few who give more than they take

councils

will then follow that lead

loading up on debt to provide non-productive 'services'

then cry poor

and introduce land-taxes on the few to keep the city running

...

the free christmas concert in the domain looks like it will be cracker this year!

https://www.coke.co.nz/christmas-in-the-park/auckland

no expense has been spared

let's hope the youths who come from west + south to drink + fight at mission bay

won't trash the newmarket station in their envied entitlement

better budget another 100 houses' rates payments for increased security

and maybe another 20,30? houses' rates for cleaning up the mess of bottles and takeaways containers that'll litter the streets at 2am

better make it 40 houses rates to pay for the 'minimum wage' overtime needed to pay their more logically driven mates to clean up after them at that hour

[Davo36]

Bread and circuses eri.