• Blueskin library costs increase due to delays: report
The two-day 2011-12 pre-draft annual plan hearing had been expected to end last Friday, but prolonged deliberations meant it would now spill over into the council's reserve day next Monday.
Debate dragged on Friday as councillors spent more than three hours grilling council staff - and discussing the issues - over the merits of a proposed council-controlled organisation for the city's $1.6 billion in water assets.
That and other debates meant several major projects still awaited councillors' attention, including plans for a new South Dunedin library, which was expected to cost the council $10 million in capital and borrowing costs over three financial years.
The council has already identified two neighbouring King Edward St properties for the library, and struck a deal with Pact Otago to buy them in time to begin construction of the new library.
However, council library services manager Bernie Hawke said yesterday his revised budget for libraries spending - to be considered by councillors next Monday - would mean delaying progress on the South Dunedin library by two years.
Funding for the project had already been pencilled in to begin in the 2012-13 financial year, but under the revised arrangements would be shifted back to 2014-15.
That would allow the $4 million refurbishment of the Dunedin City Library in Moray Pl to proceed first, he said.
The central city library project had also been scaled back, he said.
Together, the changes would reduce the council's overall spend on libraries during the years to 2014-15 from $29.6 million to $14.5 million, Mr Hawke said.
However, it would be up to councillors to decide whether any of the proposals proceeded.
"It really will be up to the council to see whether it's acceptable to them," he said.
Council city property manager Robert Clark said the revised budget now included land purchase costs for the neighbouring King Edward St sites, which he believed was "worth about $1 million".
As a result, plans for the library had been modified to feature a smaller building providing a home for community facilities as well as books, he said.
"The tendency, if you look at other libraries around the country that are satellite-type libraries, they are smaller-type facilities, but they include other community facilities as well," he said.
The revised libraries budget had $1 million pencilled in for 2014-15, followed by a further $8 million spread over 2015-16 and 2016-17, together with about $1 million in borrowing costs over the period.
"We felt that in fact we could build something which would provide a reasonable community facility for that sort of figure, including land."
He did not want to speculate on whether the revised proposal would win approval.
"It's very difficult to gauge those sorts of things.
"It's up to the councillors, isn't it?"
Other items up for discussion next Monday included whether to defer the $8.6 million fourth stage of the Otago Settlers Museum, a revised $5.8 million upgrade of the Dunedin Botanic Garden and a proposed $220,519 upgrade of John Wilson Ocean Dr.
Once finalised, the draft annual plan would be released for public consultation, with a public hearing scheduled for May 4-6.
