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Wellington city councilors have proposed cutting the city’s library collection purchases by 40 percent over the next two years as it seeks to free up space on a hefty 10-year budget.
The move was one of 11 last-minute proposed budget changes presented by Mayor Andy Foster at a chaotic council meeting Thursday, as he made one last effort to balance the books in the face of mounting financial pressures.
The change would result in the council’s budget for the purchase of library resources being reduced by $ 1 million a year for the next two financial years, beginning in July.
The latest changes left councilors scrambling to make sense of the revised budget, with Councilwoman Jenny Condie calling the proceedings a “disaster.”
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“I think, like all of you, I was quite overwhelmed with the number of amendments we received today,” she told councilors.
Wellington Town Hall
Wellington city councilors voted unanimously to repair and upgrade the earthquake-prone central library, despite public support for a new building.
Foster sent an email to councilors Tuesday night with vague explanations of the planned changes, he said.
“The fact that we only received the mayor’s updated proposal in bullet form, one business day before the meeting, without an actual written explanation as to what the bullets meant, made it incredibly difficult for all of us, and I think contributed to the chaos this morning. “
Councilman Sean Rush described Tuesday’s email from Foster as “almost incomprehensible” and asked that the deliberations, which ended up lasting seven hours, be delayed.
“I don’t know how any of this [budget] it fits more, ”he said.
Councilors finally voted 8-7 to include the library purchase reduction in their proposed draft of the long-term plan, which will be finalized in March and posted for public comment later in the year.
Monique Ford / Stuff
City Councilwoman Jenny Condie says Thursday’s meeting to discuss proposals for the council’s long-term plan was a “disaster.” (File photo)
They also voted 9-6 to consider selling part of their ownership of the central library building to private investors for use as office space.
The library has been closed since March 2019 after it was declared an earthquake risk, and councilors agreed in October to support a $ 179 million upgrade starting in April.
Foster proposed several other late changes Thursday, including scrapping $ 6.5 million from the budget for a planned Frank Kitts Park remodel.
Councilwoman Rebecca Matthews said Things During a break in the meeting, the chaotic procedures were the result of a lack of leadership.
“The mayor said it’s the first long-term plan he’s ever led, but he hasn’t led this one either,” said Matthews. “The problem for Wellington is not dysfunctional council, it is ineffective leadership.”
The $ 30 million Frank Kitts park remodel includes a Chinese garden, which will be funded by the Chinese community.
When asked by councilwoman Jill Day if the Chinese community was aware of the proposal to withdraw funds for the park improvement, Foster said: “I’m not sure if they know or not. They will now. “
Foster responded to criticism, saying his “transformational” budget was the most challenging the board had ever faced and included record investments in capital expenditures and bike lanes.
ROSA WOODS / Things
Mayor Andy Foster says some councilors seemed to live in “parallel universes, where money grows on trees.” (File photo)
He said there were no plans to “privatize the library,” as some councilors had suggested. In contrast, private investors could own an office space separate from the library.
“You can create controversy about it if you want, but it will create controversy because it is political, not because it is good government.”
He said that some councilors saw “subterfuges” in the things that are proposed, while others felt that there were “people in parallel universes, where money grows on trees.”
He defended the late amendments, saying he and the council staff were working in “real time,” with constantly evolving forecasts.
“I’m sorry we had to do it the way we did it … but that was the way we had to do it.”
Foster also offered a warning to councilors that they had tried to budget too much, most notably a successful motion by Laurie Foon to include an additional $ 45 million for bike lanes from years four through ten of the plan.
“It’s starting to spill over into the area that is going to get irresponsible, and I think you will have to look very closely at the debates that we have around the operating expense side.
“There are things you may want to do, but you may have already spent the money.”
Just a few amendments approved by other councilors included an additional $ 3.8 million for climate change initiatives, $ 2 million in 2024-25 for a resource recovery park, and fee deferral options for low and fixed income taxpayers.
How they voted:
Reduce the budget for library collections:
For: Andy Foster, Diane Calvert, Jenny Condie, Sarah Free, Sean Rush, Malcolm Sparrow, Simon Woolf, Nicola Young. Against: Jill Day, Fleur Fitzsimons, Laurie Foon, Rebecca Matthews, Teri O’Neill, Iona Pannett, Tamatha Paul.
Land lease for library building:
For: Andy Foster, Diane Calvert, Jenny Condie, Laurie Foon, Sarah Free, Sean Rush, Malcolm Sparrow, Simon Woolf, Nicola Young. Against: Jill Day, Fleur Fitzsimons, Rebecca Matthews, Teri O’Neill, Iona Pannett, Tamatha Paul.
