Council updates  |  5 Mar 2020

Funding for new traffic lights at a busy Bishopdale intersection and directors fees were among the items debated at today's Finance and Performance Committee meeting.

Intersection safety improvements

The Finance and Performance Committee is recommending the scope of the Wheels to Wings cycleway is altered to include the installation of traffic signals at the intersection of Harewood, Breens and Gardiners roads.

The Council agreed in principle last year that traffic signals should be installed at the busy intersection for safety reasons.

Today the Finance and Performance Committee voted to recommend that the Council, as part of the Annual Plan process, increase the budget allocation for the Wheels to Wing cycleway by $1.2 million to cover the cost of putting in the traffic signals.

Fee increase for CCHL directors

The directors of Christchurch City Holdings Limited – Christchurch City Council’s investment arm – are going to get a fee increase.

The seven directors on CCHL’s Board currently get paid $40,325 while the Chair of the Board gets paid $80,650, which is significantly below the market rate according to independent consultancy firm EQI Global.

Today the Finance and Performance Committee agreed to increase the size of the fee pool for the directors of CCHL by $82,575, taking the total pool to $445,500.

The increase in the fee pool is the first since 2016. It does not impact on rates as the costs are funded by CCHL.

Four of the directors on the CCHL Board are Christchurch City Councillors. Their fees get donated to charitable organisations.