The Council CE crept into the Café in Ngatea, collar of jacket up high and hat pulled down low. Detection was to be avoided. The CE made his/her way surreptitiously to the back room and was pleased to see the other two Chief Executives were already there. Greetings followed and coffee ordered as they settled down to the purpose of this clandestine meeting. Since the amalgamation of the Thames Coromandel District, Hauraki and Piako councils had been announced, along with the takeover of some of the, now defunct, Waikato Regional Council responsibilities, the CEs were concerned that they took control of the new entity, the transition and on-going control. Hence this meeting on neutral ground was set up.
Getting straight down to business, one CE questioned “There will only be one CE in the new Council. How do we handle that, so we don’t all lose out?” One of the other CEs cleared the throat and replied, “Quite simple really. We recommend that more executive muscle is needed to work with a larger council and manage increased responsibilities. We suggest a Council President be appointed to replace the previous CE role and they be assisted by two Vice-Presidents, one in charge of Infrastructure and the other in charge of Communications. Of course, we will aqdvise that local knowledge is imperative”. “Brillant!” replied the third, “We all get to keep our jobs, it’s just a matter of agreeing who gets what job”. They nodded simultaneously in agreemenrt.
The second CE carried on, “The important issue that I see is where to build the new Council Offices and how high they should be?” A discussion followed with various options being discussed. The three CEs were a little biased towards their own towns but after some deliberation it was agreed that Kerepehi would be the perfect location. One stated, “Quite a good option really; it’s central and we could suggest converting the old Dairy Factory into offices. A Presidential suite on the top floor would give great views over the plains and the Firth of Thames.” Another interrupted. “Wellington has shown us that we can put the mayor’s office on the ground floor by the car park. It will be easier on his/her knees”.
Good progress was being made so a round of Proseccos was ordered and they carried on. “Ratepayers will be expecting more efficiency and better value. How do we handle that?” The second CE had a solution. “It’s about training the new mayor. We point out that the Council has more work to do with the new organisation and we must put in place new processes that will enable us to make the gains in efficiency and value that is being sought. A five-year plan will be needed with retaining the staff numbers for the first three years; changes can be made in the last two”. The other CEs smiled as they realised what was being said, one responding “and changes could mean increases. After the first three years, we will get a new council, and we will be forthright in stating the previous council had agreed to increases due to increased responsibilities and more risk.”. They felt pleased with this mutual understanding of keeping things in their control. Their plans were underway and this called for another round of Proseccos.
The third CE quietly asked, “We do have a problem with these Community Boards. They still seem to think they should have the say over what happens in their communities, and that they should have a budget. How do we handle this problem?” Sipping his/her Prosecco, one of the other CEs responded. “I suggest we say it is a process and the first step is to give them a liaison officer, so they have someone in the staff to whom to voice concerns, find information, get decisions etc.” The third CE responded, “There are a lot of Community Boards, how many liaison officers will we need?” The response was quick. “Just one – we say it’s a cost cutting necessity. We can’t afford to make it a ‘walk-in’ for Community Boards to become involved with governance that effecting their communities, but more than that, destabilises how we have set up control,”
The conversation drifted on and the café wanted to close. Eventually they found their way to their charging EV’s, wondering just how they could ensure they would not be one of the two relegated to being a Vice President.
