OPEN LETTER To the Auditor General Kevin Brady

Mayoral Candidate Lisa Prager is now seriously concerned and outraged by Auckland City Councils CEO David Rankin¹s REFUSAL to provide critical public information before the local body elections close this Saturday.

Ms Prager requested the information over six weeks ago under the Œurgency¹ provisions of the Local Government Official Information and Meetings Act 1987.

On 27th of August, I initially request detailed information on the CONTRACTING­OUT of 64 core council services.

The council officers claimed that they were unable to provide this amount of detail, so I simplified the request and asked for details of just 16 key services (see OIA below specifically red highlighted activities attached.)

Therefore I am now formally requesting an immediate investigation by the Auditor General into the actions and practices of the CEO of Auckland City Council, David Rankin.

The reasons for this request are as follows :

1. The apparent deliberate witholding of this critical public information by CEO Mr. Rankin prior to these current Auckland City Council elections.

2. His failure to honour his statutory duties to provide critical public information to assist the public to cast an informed vote.

3. With Mr. Rankin¹s apparent knowledge, council officers have lied to the media and myself about the delivery of this information.

4. In my considered opinion this information has been witheld because of the highly political and considerable public concern over the release of information confirming $91 million of ratepayers money was spent on consultants fees and $30 million on temporary staff over the last three years.

5. Mr. Rankin¹s behaviour and actions,in my opinion, have been unprofessional, obstructive and a clear breach of the fundamental principles enshrined in the Local Government Act 2002 of Œopen, transparent and democratically accountable¹ local government.

In my opinion the public have a right to know how, and where our rates money is being spent.

While campaigning on Waiheke Island, I was shocked to discover that Auckland City Council was threatening a ratepayer with bankruptcy because he had forgotten to pay $354.00. This resident had been away on holiday and had overlooked his rates account.

6. I further wish the Auditor General to investigate Auckland City Council¹s unlawful threatening of bankruptcy proceedings against citizens whose rates are in arrears.

There is no provision under the Local Government (Rating) Act 2002 for bankruptcy to be used as a debt enforcement mechanism by councils. I am still awaiting an official information reply related to this unlawful threat of bankruptcy proceedings by Auckland City Council.

The only information the Council has personally provided to me in the last week was a "Summary of the Auckland City Council Annual Report 2006/2007- KEEPING AUCKLAND¹S FUTURE BRIGHT" In this hand delivered summary of the Auckland City Council report 2006-2007 I note " Financial overview the Council achieved a operating surplus of $40.3 million for the year in line with budget"

This figure is equivalent to the total amount spent on consultants in same time period of $40.8 million.

"The surplus before tax was $55.3million, DOWN $96.7 million on budget because of timing differences, this was due to delays in some capital projects. We also needed to provide for cleaning up land fills and contaminated sites, together with settling claims relates to the weather tightness of buildings."

This summary is not clear explanation of where exactly our public money is being spent, although we note that this document has been signed off by Bede Kerney Audit New Zealand on behalf of the Auditor General Auckland New Zealand 26 September.

I look forward to your prompt confirmation that an urgent investigation into the actions and practices of Auckland City Council CEO David Rankin will be instigated forthwith by the Auditor-General.

Yours sincerely,

Lisa Prager
Mayoral Candidate
www.council-watch.com

*******

OPEN LETTER/ OFFICIAL INFORMATION ACT REQUEST TO AUCKLAND CITY COUNCIL CEO DAVID RANKIN

27 August 2007

Following is a complete list of services provided by Auckland City Council.

Please provide the information which shows:

A) How much money in total Auckland City Council has spent on the provision of each of these services, each year:

a) 2001 ­ 2002 be) 2002 ­ 2003 c) 2003 ­ 2004 d) 2004 ­ 2005 e) 2005 ­ 2006 f) 2006 ­ 2007

B) Whether each of these services are operated and managed directly by:

a) Auckland City Council full-time staff. b) Temporary staff employed on contract by Auckland City Council. c) A combination of both.

C) For each of the above-mentioned years, the amount spent on wages and salaries for each of these services that are operated and managed directly by:

a) Auckland City Council full-time staff. b) Temporary staff employed on contract by Auckland City Council. c) A combination of both.

D) Whether the operation and management of these services have been contracted out to the private sector.

a) If so, which companies have these contracts. b) What is the value of each of these contracts. c) For how long is the term of each of these contracts. d) Who decided which company would get these contracts. e) When were the decisions made as to which companies would get these contracts.

E) Which of the following Boards, Committes or Subcommittes do each of these Council services come under and report to?

Art Gallery Enterprise Board
Assessors and Audit (sub-committee)
City Development Committee
Creative Communities (sub committee)
Community Services Committee
Finance and Corporate Business Committee
Law and Order Committee
Regulatory and Fixtures (sub-committee)
Recreation and Events Committee
Strategy and Governance Committee
Transport Committee
Works Committee
Zoo Enterprise Board

The complete list of services provided by Auckland City Council, as downloaded from the Auckland City Council website is as follows: Please provide the information requested above on the 16 highlighted in Red

1) Abandoned vehicles
2) Account customers
3) Alcohol bans
4) Animals
5) Auckland City Libraries (16)
6) Billboards
7) Brothels and commercial sex premises
8) Building consents (6)
9) Building on your property
10) Business ratepayers
11) Cemetaries
12) Community development services
13) Community noticeboards
14) Community venues
15) Compliance schedules and building WOFs (2)
16) Development contributions (10)
17) Digital GIS data
18) Disability innovations
19) Dogs (4)
20) Drainage plans
21) Environmental fines
22) Financial contributions
23) Fires
24) Food grading search
25) Food premises (5)
26) Footpaths (1)
27) Forms and brochures ­ property development and use
28) Garden and food waste 29) Graffiti (7)
30) Grants and funding 31) Health licenses (15)
32) Heritage
33) Land Information Memoranda (LIMs) (11)
34) Liquor licensing (8)
35) Mud and sediment runoff
36) Noise
37) Orakei Basin usage
38) Parking (2)
39) Pests
40) Pool fencing
41) Pools and recreational centres
42) Project Information Memoranda
43) Property and rates information search
44) Property information for purchase 45) Public toilets
46) Rates (13)
47) Resource consents (12)
48) Road and parking signs
49) Roads and footpaths (9)
50) Rubbish and recycling (14)
51) Safe Swim
52) Septic tanks
53) Stormwater (7)
54) Street lighting
55) Traffic signals
56) Trees (3)
57) Urban design (4)
58) Utilities 59) Valuation
60) Water (5)
61) Weathertightness (6)
62) Wharves and boat ramps
63) Working from home
64) Zoning

This OIA request is made under the 'urgency'¹ provisions of the Local Information and Meetings Act 1987, because the information is required for the 2007 Auckland City Council election campaign.

Please provide this information by 5pm Monday 10 September 2007.

In the first instance please email the reply to: thecowgirl@xtra.co.nz and please follow up by letter to:

Lisa Prager

Yours sincerely
Lisa Prager
Auckland Mayoral candidate

ENDS

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