Proposal to redistribute City Streets funding of $13million

The City Council is proposing to redistribute $13 million, set aside for street works in the 2004-2005 financial year, to future annual budgets because indications are that the streets capital works programme for the year cannot be completed.

General Manager City Environment Jane Parfitt says she requested a capital re-programme of the City Streets budget because for the last five years, significant work was being carried forward.

“Instead of addressing the problem, this approach has compounded it,” Mrs Parfitt says.

Among contributing factors to the continuing carry over of works are: a national shortage of engineers and transport planners a limited capacity in both the Council and the contracting industry to respond to growth in the Council works programme delays caused by the Council’s unwieldy consultation processes.

Mrs Parfitt says there is a need for the Council to develop better working relationships with the contracting industry so that contractors can have more confidence in investing more equipment and capability in Christchurch.

Chairman of the Strategy and Finance Committee, Councillor Alister James, says the redistributed $13m will still be used for streets capital works but at a later date. This is not a cost-cutting exercise.

“We’re effectively smoothing out the process. This is a far more transparent means of using money and matching the programme with available resources over a much more realistic time-line,” Councillor James says.

The Council will consider Mrs Parfitt’s proposed capital re-programme option at its next full meeting this month.

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