A confidential draft report released to staff this week proposes cutting the equivalent of almost 42 full-time positions from the council roster. This will effectively drop its full-time staffing from 265.98 to 224.14.
In real terms, it represents about 80 full-time and part-time jobs out of more than 330 roles.
The job cuts are among proposed changes contributing to estimated savings of between $2 million and $3 million annually in the short to medium term.
Major casualties of the wide-ranging review already include the chief executive positions of council-controlled organisations (CCO) Lakes Environmental, which oversees regulatory matters, and venue and recreation operator Lakes Leisure.
Council voted to disestablish both CCOs last month after the first stage of the review and bring their functions back in-house.
However, the latest report - prepared by an independent review team led by ex-Auckland Regional Council boss Peter Winder - recommends advertising more than 70 new and pre-existing positions.
These include a layer of four new general managers directly under chief executive Adam Feeley, who will unveil final decisions on the new structure by April 30 after staff feedback.
The heavyweight general manager positions include a planning and development boss overseeing a 34-strong department delivering most of Lakes Environmental's tasks, plus planning and policy. An operations boss, leading 91 full-time positions, will have responsibilities including sport and recreation, libraries, venues, campgrounds and customer services.
Three new positions overseeing infrastructure and assets, a legal and regulatory department and the chief executive's office are also recommended.
They are among 37 roles that will be advertised externally from May 2, if Mr Feeley approves the proposals.
A further 37 positions, some new and some existing, will only be open to candidates already at the council or Lakes Environmental and Lakes Leisure. When there is more than one person for the job, a contestable selection process will be used.
The report says existing council staff will get notice they are either being reconfirmed, reassigned to a similar position, redeployed or made redundant.
Staff not accepting an offer of reassignment within the council ''may not be entitled to any redundancy compensation that you would otherwise be entitled to'', the report says.
Mr Feeley, who addressed all staff on Tuesday about the consultation document prior to its release, told Queenstown's Mountain Scene this week the review was ''not a numbers game''.
''Some of those proposals are as much driven by improving services as they are about cost-saving. There will be savings out of this but the other important thing is it's also about maintaining services and in many cases lifting services.''
Mr Feeley said he believed the estimated saving of up to $3 million was ''optimistic'' but it would be a seven-figure number. The exact salaries for some new positions would not be known until people had been appointed, he said.
The report calls for beefing up the technical skills of the planning department, while extra technical and commercial skill is required within the infrastructure team.
The council should also hire in-house lawyers, it says.
At present the council outsources all legal work, costing on average $1.5 millon a year, a figure bloated by ''vague and unclear'' instructions to its providers and a specialist insurance and leaky building firm.
A new in-house law manager and senior solicitor would halve the cost, and amount to $300,000-$350,000 in annual savings after the new salaries are deducted, the report says.
Mr Feeley said staff feedback would be a vital part of the restructure process.
Staff must submit feedback by April 16.
Review timeline
Tuesday, this week: New consultation document with proposed changes released to staff.
April 16: The deadline for staff to submit feedback on proposed changes.
April 16-26: Council chief executive Adam Feeley considers feedback.
April 30: Mr Feeley delivers his final decisions to staff.
June/July: Appointments to new council roles will be confirmed.
- Ryan Keen and Philip Chandler of Mountain Scene
