Latest news with #O'Malley
Otago Daily Times
a day ago
- Politics
- Otago Daily Times
Bridge could scupper bid to divert heavy traffic
A government proposal to direct traffic around Dunedin's central city could be hampered by an inadequate overbridge, city councillors say. Earlier this month, proposed roading changes aimed at making the area around the new Dunedin hospital safer were released for public consultation. The changes proposed by NZ Transport Agency Waka Kotahi (NZTA) included removing the westbound right turn from St Andrew St on to Cumberland St — northbound heavy traffic was instead expected to use the Ward St overbridge to join the one-way system. Dunedin City Council infrastructure committee chairman Jim O'Malley said the proposal to direct traffic on to the overbridge did not make sense. Following an NZTA report to council in April, Cr O'Malley raised concerns about the bridge's capacity to support extra traffic and said substantial investment was needed to upgrade it. Yesterday, he said he still held concerns about the proposal. "Bottom line is to put everybody over that bridge, it just doesn't make sense — NZTA knows that," he said. "The reality of it is we just can't get the money [to upgrade it]. "We don't have a full metro status in the eyes of NZTA and that shows up in these projects." Cr Lee Vandervis had also raised concerns about the bridge's suitability. "[The] bridge and feeder roads are already at capacity at times," he said yesterday. Other suggestions to limit the St Andrew St traffic flow and railway crossing would make the bridge and the council's Harbour Arterial project — which was intended to provide a safe and efficient alternative route for traffic to bypass the central city — "even more problematic", he said. Council transport group manager Jeanine Benson said the bridge underwent a detailed assessment in 2019 and was used by about 7000 vehicles per day, including about 450 trucks, without significant issues reported. Replacing the bridge had been included in initial plans for stage 4 of the Harbour Arterial project. "This stage of the . . . project would be the most expensive part of the entire project, and there is currently no funding for stage 4 in either the [council's] 9 year plan or the Regional Land Transport Programme," she said. "It's possible this stage may be funded and progress at a later date." Public consultation on NZTA's roading proposal closes on Monday.
Otago Daily Times
a day ago
- Business
- Otago Daily Times
Claim councillors 'kept in dark' over cycleway
Councillors were left "completely in the dark" about a legal risk that triggered further consultation on a contentious central Dunedin cycleway, a committee member says. All three members of the Dunedin City Council's hearings committee — which heard from submitters and voted through a proposal on the Albany St Connection project — say they were not informed of the legal rationale to re-consult on the project. "I still don't know what it's about," Cr Mandy Mayhem said yesterday. "Completely in the dark about why there was anything wrong with the first time round." Deputy mayor Cherry Lucas said the hearings committee asked staff if all businesses and property owners affected by the project had been approached, and had been reassured they were. Staff had even gone door-to-door. "I'm not sure why this has taken so long." The council announced last week it had reintroduced nine carparks to the project's design and public consultation would take place until August 7 regarding suggested parking restrictions. The project aims to provide a safe walking and cycling connection between the shared Te Aka Ōtākou harbour path, Dunedin's tertiary area and the CBD. Crs Mayhem and Lucas, along with chairman Cr Jim O'Malley, were members of the hearings committee who, in late 2023, voted 2-1 to proceed with a proposal for the project which would have removed 68 carparks in the area. But a transport report, tabled ahead of an infrastructure services committee meeting in April last year, said some property owners and local businesses had raised concern about the consultation. Initial legal advice was the consultation process was "potentially open to challenge" and re-consultation would be "prudent", the report said. Cr O'Malley said he had not seen the legal opinion and did not know what it was based on, which was "exceptionally extraordinary". He did not believe the consultation process was "flawed" and said there had not been any need for re-consultation. "I believe that everybody was informed. "It was publicly notified, we had hearings, there was a huge amount of support for what was there. "What was not supported was the businesses that wanted those parks back. "Lo and behold — now the parks are back." Council transport group manager Jeanine Benson said the legal advice was given verbally to staff, who were advised the initial consultation process could expose the council to "a risk of judicial review in the High Court". "This followed concerns raised by an Albany St property owner that they had not been properly consulted during initial consultation and that they were considering legal proceedings as a result. "An assessment was made that re-consultation would be a better use of ratepayer funds than potentially significant litigation costs." Offering a version of events that differed from the one provided by Cr O'Malley, Ms Benson said Dunedin Mayor Jules Radich and Cr O'Malley were both briefed on the legal advice by council chief executive Sandy Graham in the week before last April's committee meeting. The procurement process was still on track to start this month and construction to begin in November, she said.
USA Today
3 days ago
- Sport
- USA Today
Sean O'Malley loves BMF champ Max Holloway's options after UFC 318
Sean O'Malley sees various options for BMF champion Max Holloway's next fight. Holloway (27-8 MMA, 23- 8 UFC) became the first fighter to retain the BMF belt when he outlasted the retiring Dustin Poirier in Saturday's UFC 318 headliner at Smoothie King Center in New Orleans. "Wow, I'm so glad neither of them got knocked out," O'Malley said while watching Holloway vs. Poirier on his YouTube channel. "I thought it was the perfect way to end it. I mean, obviously for Dustin he wanted to get the win there, but God, that was such a sick fight. "Max Holloway officially at 155 (pounds), I love Max at 155. So, who's next for Holloway at 155? There's Arman Tsarukyan. Imagine Max vs. Charles (Oliveira)? That would be a f*cking sweet fight at 155. Ooh, Paddy (Pimblett) vs. Max Holloway at 155." Holloway wants to run things back with UFC lightweight champion Ilia Topuria, who knocked him out in their featherweight title fight at UFC 308. Topuria was the first to finish Holloway by strikes. Dana White is open to the rematch, and so is O'Malley. "Max vs. Ilia at 155? I mean, that's there," O'Malley added. "I don't know. Max vs. Ilia is always a sick fight." Former UFC bantamweight champion O'Malley concluded by praising Poirier (30-10 MMA, 22-9 UFC) for his career. "Dustin Poirier retirement fight, absolute legend," O'Malley said. "Super inspiring to see his career play out, the wins, the losses. He went up, he went down, he had some of the biggest fights with Conor McGregor. Very inspirational fella."
Otago Daily Times
3 days ago
- Business
- Otago Daily Times
Call to delay cycleway project
A contentious central city cycleway should be delayed two years to prevent "another round of chaos" being dumped on business owners' doorsteps, a Dunedin property investor says. However, Cr Jim O'Malley has defended the project and says he is so tired of accusations from "these same businessmen" he may quit local politics. His comments come after Jason La Hood called for the Albany St Connection project — which aims to provide a safe walking and cycling connection between the shared Te Aka Ōtākou harbour path, Dunedin's tertiary area and the CBD — to be delayed by 24 months, to give business owners in the city a chance to recover from an already difficult period. An "overwhelming concern" of business owners was why Dunedin city councillors seemed "hell-bent" on proceeding with work on the project this year, Mr La Hood said. Many had already endured "years of punishing disruption" — first the Covid-19 pandemic, then the George St upgrades project that "drove shoppers away with many businesses barely staying afloat". If the work proceeded this year, business owners would be "hit with a devastating trifecta of soaring rates, collapsing consumer spending and the prolonged disruption of street works". "What is worse is the growing perception that some councillors are indifferent to the suffering it's causing. "As one business owner put it, 'it feels like councillors are torturing us'. "The comment may sound emotional, but it is born from real exhaustion, fear and frustration from people who are simply trying to survive and support their families." A simple and "empathic" alternative was to delay the project by 24 months. "Let them trade through this economic storm without another round of chaos being dumped at their door." The council last week announced it had reintroduced nine carparks to the project's design along two areas on the northern side of Albany St. Public consultation would take place until August 7 regarding suggested parking restrictions. Mr La Hood was one of two business owners whom Dunedin Mayor Jules Radich said at an infrastructure services committee meeting last month had contacted him with concerns about the level of consultation on the project. Cr O'Malley said Mr La Hood said the same thing every time the council did street work. "And, frankly, it's difficult to perform your role as a councillor when you're accused of dirty things like that. "To be honest, I still haven't put in my form to go back for another three years because I am tired of this stuff. "Seriously, you work your arse off to run these committees and run them properly, you come up with a conclusion and then these same businessmen, every time, turn around and say 'I wasn't consulted'." There had been a "complete and utter lack of respect" for the consultation process, Cr O'Malley said. "It happened, it was done properly, it was well executed. "They just didn't get what they wanted." The project would not receive co-funding from the New Zealand Transport Agency Waka Kotahi if it was not completed this year, he said. In late 2023, a hearings committee voted 2-1 to proceed with the then recommended proposal to remove 68 carparks in the street. But Cr O'Malley said this had never been put before the full council and believed building owners had since "got in and interfered with the process". "I am more concerned that it took 18 months and nothing happened at all, and now the mayor is going around and, suddenly, we're having another consultation." He believed Mr Radich was acting in business owners' interest, "and that's not necessarily the interest of the city as a whole". He likened it to talks had with the business community during the George St redevelopment. "I see this as just more of the same, the mayor and his mates." Mr Radich said yesterday he was "mates with many business owners, job holders, residents and shoppers in this city". As with George St, the "vast majority of them" wanted reasonable access to shops and services in Albany St. "There is a balance to be achieved between the majority of people who use cars to get around the city and the 5% or so who use bikes and want more cycle lanes." Council transport group manager Jeanine Benson said they acknowledged any construction project came with a level of disruption. "But our staff and contractors work hard to minimise this and support local businesses through these periods where we can."
Irish Independent
5 days ago
- Business
- Irish Independent
Mayo councillors vote to keep the current base rate for local property tax despite calls for a reduction
The decision came despite a recommendation from the council's Director of Finance to increase the base rate to 15pc which would generate an extra €1.52m in LPT income for the council and would go towards services such hedge cutting, verge trimming and capital projects around the county.. LPT in Mayo is estimated to bring in €10.13m in 2026. The Exchequer will then allocate €11.88m as part of the Equalisation fund. This gives Mayo County Council a baseline fund of €22.01m for the year. Fianna Fáil councillor, Damien Ryan, rejected the recommendation and proposed that the base rate remains at 10pc. 'You recommend 15pc but you don't have to go out and sell it the way we have to sell it. I suppose at the end of the day we want to be wise and prudent about how we do things here. We're in extremely uncertain times, the 30pc tariffs coming across the Atlantic are going to have a huge impact on Ireland.' Keeping the base rate at 10pc would raise €1.01m in LPT income. Of this, €200,000 would be ring-fenced for verge trimming, and €400,000 would go towards the match funding contribution for Clár, the Town and Village Renewal Scheme (TVRS) and other similar schemes. Cllr Ryan proposed a provision be made for €100,000 to go toward addressing the backlogs in processing applications for housing grants such as Croi Conaithe. Fine Gael councillor Peter Flynn seconded this proposal. Independent councillor, John O'Malley, rejected any raise in the base rate. He spoke of families facing food and fuel poverty and families in rural areas in the county, 'There are families out there who are finding it hard, especially in rural areas,' he said. 'We pay a property tax in the rural area but we don't get street lights, footpaths, water, or sewerage. We don't get any of that paid for.' 'I can't support any increase in LPT, it's not fair to go asking rural people to pay more.' ADVERTISEMENT Learn more Cllr O'Malley proposed reducing the base rate to 0pc. His motion was seconded by Cllr Michael Kilcoyne, who reminded the council that they also had the power to decrease the rate by 15pc. He reiterated that people in rural areas are being treated unfairly and said: 'you're asking people to pay 25pc more than they should have to.' Councillors Harry Barrett, Patsy O'Brien, Chris Maxwell and Deirdre Lawless all seconded the proposal made by Cllr O'Malley and spoke out for families in rural Ireland. 'I want to see people having a little bit of money left over at the end of the month, not having extra charges tacked on here, there and everywhere,' Cllr Barrett said. 'They say 'every little helps' but it doesn't help in this scenario, every little is actually sending people under.' In response, Cllr Ryan stressed he was not proposing an increase but only arguing that the base rate be maintained. 'This decision is to hold it at the same rate it has been since 2020. We're holding it at the same rate to try and get economic development in each of our regions,' he said. 'For us to become effective going forward, the only way you can function is with sound economics and you have to underpin that with finance.' Cllr Ryan warned that reducing the base rate to 0pc would result in a loss of €2.5 million for the council, while maintaining the current rate would keep it functioning financially. Cllr Ryan recognised that change is needed in relation to local authority funding, he argued that the Department of Finance should restore Block Grants as the current Equalisation Fund only contributes to the urban and rural divide since urban councils have larger base rates. The vote to hold the base rate of LPT at 10pc was passed 17 votes to eight. All 17 who voted in favour are representatives for either Fianna Fáil or Fine Gael. This article has been funded by the Local Democracy Scheme
