Grant Miller

Being told to get back to basics and keep rates rises in check would be easier to swallow if central government did not add to the financial challenge, mayors in the South say.

Museums, libraries, pools and playgrounds are among spending priorities at risk if the government’s back-to-basics direction for councils takes hold, a Dunedin city councillor says.

Development of a Taieri cycling and walking trail is a step nearer because of a common-sense approach to using floodbanks, one of the organisers says.

It may not yet be election year for councils, but political points were getting made in Dunedin at the weekend.

An abandoned proposal by the Dunedin City Council to sell Aurora Energy cost more than $240,000, but several councillors say the information-gathering exercise was worthwhile.

Dunedin City Council claims about what "most respondents" said in a survey have been questioned by a statistician.

Consensus and compromise could help Dunedin theatre groups secure better facilities for the city, it has been signalled.

Discussions about a possible unitary authority for Otago were nearly scuppered in Dunedin, but they survived on the mayor’s casting vote.

There is not yet a strong call from the public for spending cuts at the Dunedin City Council, an online survey indicates.

Enterprise Dunedin manager John Christie is leaving his city council post and has accepted a position with the Otago Polytechnic.

Senior staff cautioned Dunedin city councillors about "leaks of information to the media" and a crucial meeting was abruptly suspended for several hours, the Otago Daily Times has learned.

Pavers left over after Dunedin’s George St upgrade could cover an area equivalent to more than five basketball courts and the city council says their $265,000 cost is worth it in the long run.

Dunedin city councillors need to step up and show leadership amid a difficult time with their chief executive, a local government scholar believes.

Developers of cycling and walking trails may soon have a fairly clear steer about whether they can use floodbanks in Otago.

Projected costs for running the new South Dunedin library and community complex have shocked at least one city councillor.

An investigation is being undertaken into the Dunedin City Council’s financial reporting, the Otago Daily Times understands.

Spending exceeding $60,000 on designing a seesaw and more than $50,000 on a shade canopy design in George St, Dunedin, is indefensible, a city councillor says.

The Central Otago and Gore councils have pledged to work together to deliver water in their communities, and they are calling for other councils in Otago and Southland to join forces for a unified...