PAC: DONE DEAL

The Nelson City council is claiming in thier propaganda rag, Live Nelson, that no decision has been made on the PAC, and that there will be full and robust consultation.
What an absolute load of bull chips. The pigs are all refuelled, and lined up ready for flight, with councils actions speaking far louder than their words.
Clearly this council has not got a clue about what notification and consultation even mean, and that is at the very root of this problem.
Notification and consultation is meant to be about whether or not there should even be a PAC, in the first place. Consultation is not just about what colour to paint the toilet seats.
The ratepayers are meant to be canvassed on whether or not Nelson needs or even wants, or can afford a PAC, and that consultation has never happened in the life of this project.
Council are just ramming that presumption down the public's throat as a done deal, that the community wants, needs and can afford this expensive Taj Mahal.
That decision which has yet to be made, is a decision of wishes, versus need and affordability, with the LTCCP planning and decision making process being, fundamentally an economic and financial decision making process.
Essentially the legislation requires any notification and consultation and the resulting decision, to focus on the costs and the economic effect on affordability for ratepayers.
In this latest Live Nelson attempt to avoid these irritating matters, council openly admit that they have not got a clue as to what the costs are, let alone how many funding partners there will be to divide the costs between.
Therefore it is totally impossible for council to meet the legislative requirements of notifying and spelling out, what the financial effects are on rates and the ratepayers.
Clearly then, it is equally as impossible for ratepayers to make any informed decision on the affordability of this project, let alone for council to make any claim of affordability.
Obviously the inclusion of this project in the LTCCP is wholly improper and extremely premature, and until council can provide the legislatively required detail and specifics of this project, then any attempt to try and force it through so prematurely and without the legislatively required information, is an outright consultation sham and a financial scam to boot.
This farce is either a knowing rort or ignorant mismanagement of the worst order, choose your weapon. Either way, Live Nelson's own allegations of mismanagement are whole heartedly endorsed and agreed with.