The council is preparing to work on its next 10-year plan for 2027-37, but is doing so amid uncertainty about how local government in Otago might be reshaped during that period.
This includes the possibility of a unitary council being set up, in which case a Dunedin-based council could take on activities historically carried out by the Otago Regional Council.
The government has been pushing for councils to simplify their governance, including by considering amalgamations.
City councillor Lee Vandervis said at an audit, risk and assurance committee meeting yesterday the situation raised questions about the value of some planning beyond the next two years.
He was worried about potential for the council to carry out work that was not going to be relevant.
Council chief financial officer Carolyn Allan said the council still had to complete a 10-year plan.
The council also needed to have a 30-year infrastructure strategy.
Dunedin Mayor Sophie Barker said Local Government New Zealand had been promoting to Parliament the need for ‘‘regulatory relief’’.
The government and Department of Internal Affairs had been given a clear message about all the work expected of councils, she said.
The committee meeting yesterday was chaired by Rachael Dean, standing in for chairman Bruce Robertson.
Ms Dean said councils were stuck between a rock and a hard place. They were required by law to operate as they had before while also preparing for the future, she said.
Cr Vandervis said he wanted to reduce the potential for wasted costs.
