A proposal that could see the Dunedin City Council joining a new Otago rural fire authority could also spell the end for some rural fire appliances based in outlying parts of the city.
Councillors at next week's full council meeting will consider whether to sign up for the new structure, which would replace the existing spread of individual rural fire authorities - such as the DCC and the Department of Conservation - that together cover Otago.
The new entity would instead have its own chief executive, staff and dedicated vehicle fleet, and deliver an improved service over time, a council staff report to be considered at Monday's meeting said.
Individual councils would contribute to running costs, as well as initial setup costs, but would also be expected, where possible, to transfer their vehicles and equipment - and possibly even some staff - to the new authority.
It was also expected the board of the new authority would seek to reduce operating costs through changes to the number, and location, of vehicles and other resources, the report said.
''This may have an impact on rural fire appliances based at Middlemarch, Waikouaiti and Portobello that are currently available for the use of the volunteer fire brigades in those towns,'' the report said.
However, councillors at Monday's meeting would first have to decide whether to support the proposal, which would trigger public consultation on the change, the report said.
That consultation process would be carried out by the National Rural Fire Authority, not individual councils, and a decision could be made with or without a public hearing.
However, the DCC could also opt for its own pre-consultation process, with public opinions gathered and presented to a later council meeting in November, before councillors made a decision, the report said.
That would see the planned implementation date for any change pushed out beyond July 1 next year, meaning the new arrangements would not be in place in time for the next fire season, the report said.
The new authority's operating costs were initially expected to be about $240,000 higher than the combined budgets of Otago's six existing rural fire authorities - which together totalled about $1.59 million a year - but was expected to reduce with efficiencies over time.
The DCC's share for the first three years would be $35,000 above its current annual budget, which stood at $232,000, and the council would also pay almost $15,000 towards initial setup costs in the first year, the report said.
The new authority would have seven staff and be based in Central Otago, but with branch offices in coastal and western Otago, the report said.
The proposed restructure came after the Government in 2009 signalled a desire to reduce the number of rural fire authorities across the country.
Options for Otago had since been scrutinised, resulting in a directive from the Otago Mayoral Forum to develop a proposal, which was now being considered by the region's five councils and Doc Otago.
