The year started with an ominous sky as Auckland and the upper North Island was blanketed with thick, orange haze as a result of the tragic Australian bushfires thousands of kilometres away.
In December, the Mayor’s proposal for the Annual Budget 2020/21 was agreed to go out for consultation on 21 February. The proposal is about showing leadership on climate change as well as continuing to invest strongly in infrastructure and services, and readying Auckland for the international spotlight in 2021, when the city hosts the 36th America’s Cup, APEC, Te Matatini and a range of other events. Key matters covered in the proposal include:
• a $2.7 billion investment in capital assets and operating expenditure of $4.4 billion
• 3.5% increase in average general rates and the Uniform Annual General Charge
• cumulative annual savings of $63 million by 2020/2021, including at least $16 million in 2020/2021, $24 million saved in 2018/2019 and $23 million budgeted saving in 2019/2020
• progressively extending the living wage to contracted cleaners over the next three years with expenditure of up to $1.3 million in 2020/2021
• continued support in the council’s coordination and facilitation role in tackling homelessness in Auckland at $500,000 per annum for the next three years
• $4.13 million per annum to increase the subsidy for child fares across public transport services
initial response to increased urgency of climate action ahead
of the next 10-year budget, including up to $6.3 million for decarbonising the council’s fleet over the next five years funded from existing budget; $9 million for phasing out gas boilers in council aquatic centres over the next five years, with $1.5 million in 2020/2021; $2.7 million for planting an additional half a million trees over the next three years, totalling a million and a half trees this term and $900,000 for foundation work for climate change interventions
Following Auckland Council’s climate emergency declaration in June last year, the Mayor’s proposal takes further steps to cut our carbon emissions in this budget ahead of more substantive changes once Auckland’s climate action framework is agreed later this year.
We still need to do much more and urgently. The stark reminder we’ve experienced of what climate change can bring has made it clear that only real action and political commitment is acceptable in 2020.
Feedback on the Annual Budget and Local Board priorities for 2020/2021 opens on 21 February. See the Auckland Council website for details. (PIPPA COOM)