Kingston residents are again being asked if they want to break away from the Queenstown Lakes District and align with Southland.
Fears have been raised that the needs of the small township at the southern tip of Lake Wakatipu could be overlooked as growing development in Queenstown adds pressure to council spending.
The town's community association is surveying residents about the issue and will consider their responses at its annual meeting late this month.
Kingston Community Association chairwoman Annette Dalziel, who will stand down at the meeting, said ''informal discussions'' about changing the district boundary had been held in the town.
The issue last arose in 2006 when the association called a public meeting with QLDC representatives.
Association members had been frustrated with the council over a perceived lack of action on the town's infrastructure.
The community decided to stay with the council, but make it deliver on past promises over a water and sewerage scheme, upgraded roading, street lighting and public toilets.
Yesterday, Mrs Dalziel said Kingston was beginning to develop, with more houses being built and more people living there full-time.
An application had been made to create a 28-lot special housing area in the township at the southern tip of Lake Wakatipu.
With the prospect of ever-increasing development in Queenstown, which would require more spending by the council, ''people are getting quite concerned'', Mrs Dalziel said.
''We've got people with mortgages and families ... I'm over 60 now and there are people older than me here.
''Then there's a huge gap down to the 30-year-olds. ''We can't just put $20,000 or $30,000 on the table to pay for something [ourselves].
''The prospect of expenses, particularly the sewerage ones ... money doesn't sort of really seem to be available.''
Mrs Dalziel said the association wanted to gauge the feeling in the community.
The level of support - and the wishes of the new committee and chairman - would determine the next steps.
If there was not enough support, or if the new committee did not agree with any realignment, the community would stay in the QLDC catchment.
Alternatively, a formal process would begin, through the Local Government Commission.
The commission's website says legislation governing reorganisation of local authorities under the Local Government Act 2002 was changed ''significantly'' in 2012, enabling ''any individual or group to apply for reorganisation'', provided several criteria were met.
They included community support for ''some type of change'', explanation of what the change was designed to achieve, and the improvements that would result.
Mrs Dalziel said the association wanted residents to do some research and present informed arguments, ''not ... emotional discussion''.
''If that's the wish of the community big-time, well, the community has to work big-time to find out and then come to a decision and then live with that decision.
