Otago Regional Council chairman Stephen Cairns hopes "premature" election campaigning will not distract councillors from tackling important projects.
He hoped "electioneering platforms and opportunities" were left for the appropriate time as opposed to the "apparent pre-Christmas launches which appeared to be under way with some councils", he said in his final 2009 chairman's report to the council this week.
The election is in October next year.
"Our future work programmes and our communities demand and deserve our total cohesive concentration and attention without the associated trivialising distractions which can come with premature election campaigning."
He listed eight projects that needed to be addressed before the election, including a new regional council headquarters, the Leith Lindsay flood protection scheme, water quality plan changes and passenger transport improvements.
Cr Stephen Woodhead said councillors had 10 months of the triennium left to get some key projects to critical points so the work could continue through the election period.
"We need to keep a very close eye on things and get stuck in, in the first half of next year."
Chief executive Graeme Martin outlined in a report to the council some projects that needed to be progressed.
The Leith Lindsay project was moving forward but he warned the necessary revisions of the long-term plan through the annual plan process might not be achievable.
Work had begun on each section of the proposed work, looking at options, alternatives and opportunities for cost reduction, he said.
"I anticipate that this work, in the face of major upward movement of possible scheme costs, will take well into the second quarter of 2010."
Development of the plan changes for agricultural water discharges could be generally scoped by February, and possible policy and permitted activity rules should be shaped by March, he said.
That should enable work with focus and interest groups from mid-April to mid-June.
"This is quite ambitious scheduling, but achievable."
Other areas to be worked on included initiating long-term water demand studies in communities such as the Upper Manuherikia, Ida Valley, Strath Taieri and Naseby, modernising and extending interaction with iwi, and development of the climate effects strategy and plan.
Cr Michael Deaker said a stocktake of Dunedin's public transport and what had been done in the past four to five years, and at what cost, should also be done.
