Can fundraising ease the rates pressure?
By Jamie Melbourne-Hayward
The Porirua City Council has engaged a professional fundraiser for the past 18 months, and Northern Ward Councillor Nick Leggett says the appointment has been a success. ?He has assisted with the strategies to attract and fund for events and facilities. ?We have been very impressed with the results so far,? says Cr Leggett. Steve Bramley of SGL Group helped secure three million dollars in Lottery Grants for the Te Rauparaha Arena. Mr Leggett says the ?significant reduction in capital costs for rates payers? shows the fundraising approach works. On a daily basis Mr Bramley is involved with the PCC Leisure Active department to find sponsors for events, sports grounds, and other programmes. Wellington City deputy Mayor Ian McKinnon says fundraising is considered for each and every project the council looks at. Many of the city?s art works and public works are sponsored by businesses, individuals and trusts. ?For larger projects that will be enjoyed by people for 60 or 70 years we feel it is fairer that becomes inter-generational debt. ?If we are looking at a brand new asset we will borrow the money and pay it back over time,? Mr McKinnon says. The council draws on benefits like the Charles Plimmer trust, which has put several million dollars into Oriental Bay, Central Park, Mount Victoria, and the recently opened City Gallery. He says the Council don?t engage a professional fundraiser because they deal with projects on a case-by-case basis. The upcoming ?gateway structure? that will be erected at the entrance to the city, is largely sponsored by private funding, as are many other projects that ?add to the well-being and moral standing of Wellington,? Mr McKinnon says. Hutt City Council deputy Mayor Roger Styles says the Leisure Active department has a leading fundraising role at council. Securing outside funding for large projects, such as the upgrade of Walter Nash Park, is ?pivotal? for development, he says. ?The best example would be the New Dowse. The Dowse Foundation raised around 1.7 million to cover a third of the cost of redevelopment, that?s fantastic. ?One third was paid by the foundation, a third by the council, and a third by the government,? Mr Styles says. He says hiring a professional fundraiser is a ?good idea? if it can be proven to help stretch local government budgets further. He says it?s important for councils to stay out of debt, and doesn?t think intergenerational debt is a good enough excuse to raise rates for current residents.
