Council Parking Dept Says It Was Unaware Of $3m Fund

“Nearly $3 million sits in the Auckland City Council’s Municipal Parking Fund, yet just two months out from amalgamation and its future remains unclear. Council reports the pot of money has been accumulating for over three decades but claims no one knew it was even there,” says Cameron Brewer, council candidate for the Orakei ward.

‘Unbeknown to the Parking Group, Auckland City currently holds nearly $3m in a Municipal Parking Fund. This fund has been collected in the form of contributions from developers over the past 30 years, as payments in lieu of making parking provisions. The fund comprises accounts from different areas of the city, which vary in size from Mt Albert $4k to Parnell $594k,’ wrote Auckland City Council’s Group Manager of Parking to the Transport Committee on 26 July.

“Over the years the money should have been made available for parking projects in the local wards. Now there’s a real risk that it will ‘be absorbed by the new Transport Agency and used for general parking projects across the region’ as was suggested in the same 26 July paper.

“The St Heliers business community has been fighting for their $409,227 to be spent locally, but they’ve been told with the new Auckland Council imminent, it’s all too late. Parnell also wants what is rightfully there’s, but that too won’t happen.

“Staggeringly, there has been nothing done with this accumulative fund for decades. Now the council’s Chairman of the Finance Committee is suddenly trying to show some interest, but it’s all too late for the Eastern Bays.

“The good news for the Orakei ward is that while Internal Affairs has given clearance for the council to spend the $2,966,523 ‘on off-street parking initiatives anywhere in the city’ the council’s Transport Committee resolved on 5 August ‘that the money should be amalgamated and spent on one project’. The committee concluded that the project that best meets the criteria is ‘the proposal to increase the capacity of the Clonbern Road car park in Remuera’.

www.cameronbrewer.co.nz

ENDS

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