OPERA: TAP DANCING

Wow, the Nelson City council is so desperate to hide the true losses of the Opera in the Dark, that it is going to extreme lengths to deceive the public.
Council is treating the public with such contempt that it is prepared to grossly fudge the figures, in its attempts to turn that financial flying pigs ear of an event into some form of economic silk lined public purse.
Those figures are outright bulldust. Council are claiming a $16,000 loss, but that figure is nonsensical flying hogs wash. That loss does not declare or take into account the costs of council staff time, that was supposedly donated to the event.
That statement alone is an outright deception. Staff costs are a direct and real cost to the ratepayer, therefore it must be accounted for as a very real expense to the event and a very real expense to the ratepayer.
As for cross crediting underspends in other budgets as some form of loss prevention income, is the most creative accounting ever seen, and is just barefaced tap dancing. That is still a direct cost and loss, no matter which pocket it comes out of.
This event has so far, declared expenditure of $233,000 plus staff time, with income of just $78,000, and that is clearly an operating loss of $155,000 plus staff time.
Even with sponsorship and other grants of $89,000 included, to arrive at the overall balance for the event, there is still a $66,000, plus staff time, loss to be accounted for.
To claim those figures as only a $16,000 loss is simply contemptuous of the public, and obviously the true losses of this charade have yet to be revealed.