Town Council

General presentations

• SB040377 – Minutes of the Planning and Building Officer

  Lagðar fram fundargerðir frá afgreiðslufundum skipulags- og byggingafulltrúa 23.09.2009 og 30.09.2009.%0D%0DA-hluti fundargerðanna fer til samþykktar bæjarstjórnar.

  The Hafnarfjörður Town Council approved the minutes with 10 unanimous votes.;

• 0909231 – Master Plan, South Harbour

  18. liður úr fundargerð SBH frá 6.okt. sl.%0DLögð fram tillaga skipulags- og byggingarsviðs, dags. 1. október 2009, um breytingu á Aðalskipulagi Hafnarfjarðar hvað varðar Suðurhöfn.%0D%0DSkipulags- og byggingarráð samþykkir að vísa aðalskipulagstillögunni í auglýsingu skv. 18. grein skipulags- og byggingarlaga nr. 73/1997 m.s.br. Skipulags- og byggingarráð gerir eftirfarandi tillögu til bæjarstjórnar:%0D“Bæjarstjórn Hafnarfjarðar samþykkir að tillaga að breytingu á Aðalskipulagi Hafnarfjarðar 2005 – 2025 hvað varðar Suðurhöfn, dags. 1. október 2009, verði auglýst samkvæmt 18. gr. skipulags- og byggingarlaga nr. 73/1997 m.s.br.“%0D%0DGísli Ó. Valdimarsson tók til máls.

  The Hafnarfjörður Town Council approved the proposed motion with 11 unanimous votes.;

• 0907058 – Ljosaberg 32, plot extension

  7.liður úr fundargerð BÆJH frá 8.okt. sl.%0DLagt fram endurnýjað erindi Ólafs Jóhanns Ólafssonar og Sigríðar Einarsdóttur, dags. 15. apríl sl., þar sem óskað er eftir lóðarstækkun vegna breytinga á aðkomu. Skipulags- og byggingarfulltrúi hefur samþykkt erindið fyrir sitt leyti eftir grenndarkynningu.%0D %0DBæjarráð samþykkir að leggja til við bæjarstjórn:%0D“Bæjarstjórn Hafnarfjarðar samþykkir að úthluta Ólafi Jóhanni Ólafssyni og Sigríði Einarsdóttur viðbót við lóðina Ljósaberg 32 í samræmi við fyrirliggjandi gögn og nánari skilmála skipulags- og byggingarfulltrúa.“%0D%0DGunnar Svavarsson tók til máls.%0D

  The Hafnarfjörður Town Council approved the proposal by 11 unanimous votes.;

Minutes

• 0809080 – Minutes 2009, for presentation to the Town Council

  Fundargerð skipulags-og byggingaráðs frá 6. okt. sl.%0Da. Fundargerð umhverfisnefndar/Staðardagskrá 21 frá 30.sept. sl.%0DFundargerð bæjarráðs frá 8. okt. sl.%0Da. Fundargerð hafnarstjórnar frá hafnarstjórnar frá 23. sept. sl.%0Db. Fundargerðir stjórnar skíðasvæða höfuðborgarsvæðisins frá 4. júní, 9. og 30. sept. sl.%0Dc. Fundargerðir stjórnar Strætó bs. frá 1. okt. sl.%0DFundargerð framkvæmdaráðs frá 5. okt. sl.%0DFundargerð fræðsluráðs frá 5. okt. sl.%0DFundargerð fjölskylduráðs frá 7. okt. sl.%0Da. Fundargerð menningar- og ferðamálanefndar frá 30. sept. sl.%0D%0D

  Ludvik Geirsson, the Mayor, spoke under item 4 of the minutes of the Town Council of 4 October, Quarterly accounts 2009. Gudrun Augusta Gudmundsdottir made a point of order. Ludvik Geirsson replied to the point of order. Guðrún Ágústa Guðmundsdóttir spoke in reply for a second time. Haraldur Þór Ólason spoke in reply to the mayor's speech. Lúðvík Geirsson replied to the point of order. Haraldur Þór Ólason spoke in reply for a second time.Haraldur Þór Ólason spoke under items 4 and 5, Loan authorisations for the municipal treasury 2009, in the minutes of the town council from 4 October, and item 6, Gymnasium at Kaplakriki, construction, in the minutes of the Executive Board from 5 October. Gunnar Svavarsson responded.

  Guðrún Ágústa Guðmundsdóttir spoke on item 6 of the Executive Board's minutes from 5 October, Items 4, 5 and 2, The Chief Constable of the Capital Region, meeting with representatives of the town councils, in the minutes of the Town Council from 4 October. Ludvik Geirsson made a point of order. Guðrún Ágústa Guðmundsdóttir replied to a point of order. Margrét Gauja Magnúsdóttir made a point of order. Guðrún Ágústa Guðmundsdóttir replied to a point of order. Margrét Gauja Magnúsdóttir made a point of order for a second time. Guðrún Ágústa Guðmundsdóttir replied to a point of order for a second time. Rósa Guðbjartsdóttir made a point of order regarding the previous speech by Guðrún Ágústa Guðmundsdóttir. Haraldur Þór Ólason made a point of order regarding the previous speech by Guðrún Ágústa Guðmundsdóttir. Guðrún Ágústa Guðmundsdóttir replied to an intervention. Haraldur Þór Ólason made a second intervention. Guðrún Ágústa Guðmundsdóttir replied to the interruption for a second time. Haraldur Þór Ólason made a brief remark. Gunnar Svavarsson made an intervention regarding an earlier speech by Guðrún Ágústa Guðmundsdóttir.Lúðvík Geirsson took the floor under item 6 of the minutes of the Executive Board from 5th October. October. Gunnar Svavarsson made a point of order.

  Gunnar Svavarsson spoke on item 6 of the Executive Board's minutes from 5th October. Rósa Guðbjartsdóttir made a point of order. Gunnar Svavarsson replied. Rósa Guðbjartsdóttir made a point of order a second time. Gunnar Svavarsson replied a second time. Rósa Guðbjartsdóttir made a brief remark. Gunnar Svavarsson made a brief remark. Haraldur Þór Ólason made a point of order regarding Gunnar Svavarsson's speech. Gunnar Svavarsson replied to the point of order.

  Margrét Gauja Magnúsdóttir spoke under item 6 of the minutes of the Executive Board from the 5th. October last. Haraldur Þór Ólason made a point of order. Margrét Gauja Magnúsdóttir replied to the point of order. Haraldur Þór Ólason made a second intervention.

  Lúðvík Geirsson spoke on item 6 of the minutes of the Executive Board meeting of 5 October.

  Almar Grímsson spoke on item 4 of the Town Council minutes from 4 October. Lúðvík Geirsson made a point of order. Almar Grímsson responded to the point of order.

  Haraldur Þór Ólason spoke on item 4 of the town council's minutes from 4 October. Lúðvík Geirsson made a point of order. Gunnar Svavarsson made a point of order in response to Haraldur Þór Ólason's speech.

  Gunnar Svavarsson spoke under item 3, HS Orka hf., sale of shares, in the minutes of the town council meeting of 4 October.  made the following note under item 4 in the minutes of the town council, Year-end Report 2009:

  “Councillors of the Independence Party express serious concern over the poor financial position of the municipality, as shown in section 6. monthly statement. tab-stops: 72.0pt“>Debt accumulation in the municipal fund continues, and the increase in long-term and short-term debt with lending institutions is a major cause for concern. According to the 6-month 2009 accounts, long-term debt had already exceeded 25.3 billion krónur by mid-year, an increase of 9 billion krónur from mid-last year. Total debts and liabilities are now rapidly approaching 40 billion króna.

  <SPAN style=“mso-ansi-language: Operating result for the first 6 months of 2009 is negative by 137 million króna, excluding financial items. The equity of Sectors A and B is negative by 831 million króna, and operating working capital is also negative by 150 million króna, which is the measure of the municipality's performance showing its ability to operate and to service loan principal and interest.

  Repayments on long-term debt are estimated at 1.1 billion króna this year and 5,4 billion in 2010, and it is therefore clear that the municipality can in no way meet its obligations without new borrowing and major operational cost-cutting. An increase in revenue is not realistic at present due to the foreseeable decline in council tax revenue.

  Upon the processing of the revised budget on 30th June, councillors from the Independence Party and the Left-Green Party pointed out that a proposal for a revised budget was June last, the councillors of the Independence Party and the Left-Greens pointed out that the proposal for the revised budget was poorly detailed and that even greater austerity measures would have needed to be taken immediately when the budget was passed on 7th. January 2009, in order to make ends meet. The current six-monthly accounts further confirm that the Social Democrats have no control over the town's finances.

  Enough is enough. It has been reported that the municipal supervisory board has requested an explanation from the City of Hafnarfjörður. This is proof that this official board believes that the finances of Hafnarfjörður have reached a critical state. The City Councillors of the Independence Party therefore urge a reorganisation of Hafnarfjarðar should begin immediately. The Independence Party is ready to contribute through active participation on an equal footing in the Hafnarfjörður Town Council.“

  Haraldur Þór Ólason (sign)

  Rósa Guðbjartsdóttir (sign)

  Almar Grímsson (sign)

  
  Haraldur Þór Ólason, on behalf of the representatives of the Independence Party, came

  the following entry under item 5 of the Town Council minutes, Loan Authorisations 2009:

  “The councillors of the Independence Party point out that with the new borrowing authorisations that the Social Democratic and Progressive Party majority has approved in the town council, a new chapter is being opened in the history of Hafnarfjörður by mortgaging the nursing home Sólvangur, the sports hall on Strandgata, and the education office building.

  With this, it is clear that Hafnarfjörður's creditworthiness is rated low, as lenders rejected pledges on unsold plots and land which the Social Democratic Alliance yet boasts of hidden assets which it estimates at close to ten billion krónur.“ IS“>
  Haraldur Þór Ólason (sign)
  Rósa Guðbjartsson (sign)

  Almar Grímsson (sign)

  Guðrún Ágústa Guðmundsdóttir, representative of the Left-Greens, submitted the following statement under item 4 of the municipal council's minutes, Half-yearly report 2009:

  “The Left Green town councillor shares concerns regarding the City of Hafnarfjörður's interim report for the first six months of the year.

  The Left-Greens participated in the work on the 2009 budget with the majority of the town council, wholeheartedly, not least because of the economic situation that prevailed at the time. The economic situation that Icelandic society faced a year ago is still present, and the half-yearly accounts further show that the same circumstances prevail in the council's operations as they did then. The Left-Green councillor has therefore once again decided to take part in the work on the budgetsion for the year 2010 and also hopes that the councillors of the Independence Party will see their way to participating in that work. Furthermore, the Left Green councillor calls for it to be ensured that councillors are kept informed of everything that is important in that work, e.g.s., such as the request from the municipal financial supervisory board for information on the municipality's financial position, which councillors had to read about in the media.“

  Guðrún Ágústa Guðmundsdóttir (sign)

  Ludwig Geirsson, on behalf of the Social Democratic Party's representatives, submitted the following reservation under item 4 of the Town Council minutes of 4th October, Interim Financial Statement 2009:

  “<SPAN lang=EN-US style=“FONT-SIZE: 11pt; mso-ansi-language: The results of the half-year interim statement show that the significant revenue shortfall in 2009 is fully in line with the plan that was put in place.  Operating expenditure in the same period is approximately 350 million króna over budget in A-section, due to increased spending on social welfare, primary education, and summer jobs for teenagers last summer. The operating result for capital items in B-section is, however, a positive figure of approximately 210 million kr.

  I In the six-month statement, the budget revision approved at the end of June has not yet been included, as, among other things, provision was made for increased social welfare expenditure and the cost of summer jobs for teenagers. Furthermore, the town council's approved proposals for optimising pay and operational matters have not yet been included in the accounts at this point, but the impact of those measures will be reflected in the operating line items in the latter half of the year.f the year.

  <SPAN lang=EN-US style=“FONT-SIZE: 11pt; mso-ansi-language: Investments in the first half of the year are almost exclusively due to the ongoing construction at the Kaplakriki sports centre, which began just over two years ago. Additionally, the Hafnarfjörður Sewerage and Waterworks are undertaking several projects, as well as completing projects in nurseries and primary schools, and swimming pool facilities. There have been several maintenance projects related to the town's properties this summer, although fewer than in previous years.  

  No interim adjustments have been made for the revaluation of the municipality's assets. This extensive work was initiated during the budget review. The property valuations have not been reviewed for several years. Hidden assets also amount to tens of billions in plots and land, but the land allocation has been significant in recent months, although it was highest in 2008. The inflation-adjusted reimbursement reaches 7 billion, and the town council has requested a special report on the asset formation in road constructions and plots.

  The collapse in the króna's exchange rate and a high rate of inflation are the main factors behind the increase in the municipality's debt and financing costs. However, external conditions in the financial markets and an unfavourable development in exchange rate matters since the latter half of 2008 have created an adverse exchange rate difference in lthe city's debt portfolio, which affects the outcome of capital items. The city authorities have no more say in this than other borrowers, but the situation has been addressed, inter alia, through efficiency savings across all the council's departments, as well as loan restructuring and refinancing. One of the most important aspects of this is the council's takeover of the private finance contracts for Lækjarskóli, Bjarkarhús and the Álfabergs nursery school.  This measure will result in savings of hundreds of millions of krónur per year, as nearly 20 years remained on the aforementioned private-sector contracts.

  The grandstanding of the Independence Party councillors on the borough's finances is sent packing, as the representatives of the Independence Party should be familiar with the consequences that their policy, government and leadership in national affairs over the past years have had for the finances of situation of the community and the financial standing of families, businesses, the national treasury and the local authorities.“ 0cm 0cm 0pt“>

  Lúðvík Geirsson (sign)

  Ellý Erlingsd

  Guðmundur Rúnar Árnason (sign)

  Gunnar Svavarsson (sign)

  Gísli Ósv. Valdimarsson (sign)

  Margrét Gauja Magnúsdóttir (sign)

  Gunnar Svavarsson, on behalf of the Social Democratic Party's representatives, submitted the following statement under item 5 of the Town Council meeting minutes, Loan authorisations 2009:“Mortgages are presented in light of changes to pension fund liabilities, and pension funds require mortgage powers in light of changes to their operational procedures as creditors. Statements by the Independence Party regarding the assets of Hafnarfjörður Municipality, particularly in relation to plots and land, are regrettable and are not in keeping with the positive tone of development that the party professes in word, but not in deed, towards people and businesses.

  Lúðvík Geirsson (sign)

  >Ellý Erlingsdóttir (sign)

  Guðmundur Rúnar Árnason (sign)

  Gunnar Svavarsson (sign)

  Guðfinna Guðmundsdóttir (sign)

  Gísli Ósv. Valdimarsson (sign)

  Margrét Gauja Magnúsdóttir (sign)