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June 18, 2014
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Rodney finds unexpected $170,000 Members of the Rodney Local Board went on a spending spree this month when they discovered $170,000 of unspent funds in their current budget. They were told it was a case of ‘use it or lose it’. At its June meeting, Board chair Brenda Steele said any Local Board money not spent by the end of June would go back to Auckland Council. Board members were given little time to identify projects for the funds. Some members weren’t aware of the situation until the day of the meeting. As a result, more than $50,000 of new spending projects were identified within an hour-long debate, while the remaining funds were identified in the preceding three days and spent with a low level of scrutiny. Some Board members described the last minute spend as “farcical and unacceptable”. Kumeu member Phelan Pirrie said the ad hoc spend “makes us look incompetent”. Warkworth representative Greg Sayers said he only became aware of the funds on the day of the meeting and was frustrated by the process that lead to the unplanned spend. “I was in shock,” he said. “It’s completely unacceptable. People were scrambling to come up with spending on the spot.” Warkworth member Beth Houlbrooke was also unaware the funds had to be spent. She said the lack of scrutiny and planning around the spending was “farcical” and called it a “reverse auction”. “It’s not a good look. I think we will be criticised for continued on page 2
Warkworth Fire Brigade volunteer, Tania Wood, has some fun with Ted Cash, 2, from Warkworth Playcentre.
Busy start for new Warkworth appliance Warkworth Volunteer Fire Brigade’s new appliance has had a busy first month, with a number of car accidents and house fires. The new $400,000 appliance attended four car accidents on Sandspit Road in one day last month, as cars ignored a temporary 30km speed limit and skidded on loose metal left following road works.
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Senior station officer Devan Flewellyn says three of the cars rolled and were extensively damaged, while the fourth became lodged in a ditch. Those involved received only minor injuries but a member of the brigade was nearly hit while attending the second crash when a car skidded after failing to slow down. continued on page 11
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