Council culture review costs $20k
Former deputy state services commissioner Doug Martin is likely to be paid about $20,000 for the two-week review.
It%26rsquo;s a fair rate in the marketplace and it%26rsquo;s not a large amount of money considering the total budget of the council, says finance committee chairman Doug Armstrong.
He says the total cost could be a few thousand either side of the expected cost, depending on how long the process takes.
Mayor John Banks says he%26rsquo;s previously worked with Mr Martin in government organisations including the police, the Commerce Ministry and State Services Commission.
He is an excellent fellow and we will get much more value than the amount of money that he charges us.
It%26rsquo;s going to be a sound investment for the ratepayers of Auckland city.
Mr Banks says it%26rsquo;s important to have a fresh and non-political perspective.
The review is expected to take less than two weeks, and will involve speaking to staff and other organisations who frequently deal with the council. It will cover culture, leadership, customer service, business planning, systems and processes.
Mr Armstrong says the review is not specifically aimed at reducing staff numbers.
It%26rsquo;s more about the attitude and culture than that.
But a separate internal review is under way of the communications and marketing department, which employs 49 staff.
We%26rsquo;re having a careful look at what everyone does and how it%26rsquo;s crept up to that figure, Mr Armstrong says. It%26rsquo;s not a figure I%26rsquo;m happy with.
He says the council%26rsquo;s need to communicate effectively has to be balanced against the number of non-productive roles in the department.
City Vision leader Richard Northey agrees communications and marketing is an area of concern in the council. He says it%26rsquo;s also worthwhile looking at departments with a high staff turnover, such as arts, community and recreation.
Mr Northey says the $20,000 review is probably reasonable, if it%26rsquo;s focused on matters of genuine concern. There are some parts of council that are not working as well as others.
Mr Martin%26rsquo;s review is expected to be reported to a council committee within a month, and Mr Armstrong says the findings will be made public.
The communications review is also expected to take about a month.
