View from the Terris
February 2002

Happy New Year

I hope that you all had a safe and enjoyable Festive Season and are feeling rested for the year ahead. I'm sure we're all aghast at the Road Toll, with some relief that none of those terrible accidents occurred in our own City.

Frequently Asked Questions

I'm grateful that many of you take the time to ring my office to discuss issues of concern. I'm also regularly out and about in the City, talking to people. I hold regular clinics where people can raise issues of concern. This is a fascinating aspect of my job as Mayor, and one that ensures Council is kept accountable to ratepayers.

As many issues are general in nature, I thought it might be useful to share some of those that are raised regularly with me. If you have a problem you can seek assistance by completing a fix-a-gram, using Council's website or by calling our Customer Service Centre on 570-6666. My office is available at any time or you can contact your local Councillor.

• Overgrown Trees: Our city is full of lovely trees along the city streets - they're a joy to behold but they can be a mixed blessing should they become overgrown or where the roots or position causes a nuisance. Contact Council's Leisure Services division if you have a problem tree.
• Dog Control: Issues concerning dog control can include the noise made by barking dogs, roaming dogs, or dog attacks. It's a controversial area at times but the short point is that roaming dogs are a danger and should be reported. Don't hesitate to complain. There's an after-hours number for noise complaints, including barking dogs.
• Blocked Drains and Flooding: These queries cover anything from drains blocked by debris to drains or properties that have flooded. We rely very much on your telling us if there is a problem or a potential problem looming, perhaps due to tree roots or windfall.
• Cracked or Broken Footpaths: Cracked or broken footpaths are often caused by tree roots and are a nuisance and can be dangerous for young children and the elderly or infirm. If you know that a path needs repair because it is badly cracked, has holes or is incomplete let us know. We're aware some footpaths are not up to standard, particularly in the Western Hills and Stokes Valley, and have adopted a programmed approach to improving these. Hutt City Council's annual spending in this area has been increased from $75,000 to $125,000 per annum, which has seen the lengths of footpath in the very poor category reduce from 8.9km to 4.3km, while the length of footpath in the excellent category has grown from 83km to 127km.
• Resource Consents: We all know that Resource Consents are required in most instances when doing improvements to our properties. These standards have been enacted for your safety, particularly in and around homes and other buildings. If you have any questions concerning resource consents (including whether one is required for the proposed work) you should contact the Hutt City Council's Customer Services division. They're there to help, not obstruct.

The Council exists to offer the best advice, and staff are happy to discuss issues with you. Hutt City Council is justly proud of its high standard of efficiency and customer service, as evidenced by winning the Baldrige Award for performance excellence in 2001. Of course, we recognize that however well we do, we can always do better and that is why I value your contact with me and my office. Myself, my office staff and Hutt City Council Members and staff generally, all have a commitment - to work hard to be the Best that We Can Be as an organization dedicated to serving you.

I hope that by sharing this information, that you will be able to find the right person within Council to talk to a little more easily.

God Bless,

John Terris
Mayor