When it comes to the Dunedin City Council, nobody is short of an opinion.
And, from today, councillors can expect to be inundated with them as they test the public's mood for fresh spending, service level cuts and a host of other competing demands.
The council has been flooded with a record 2178 submissions on its Long Term Plan (LTP), which charts the city's course for the next decade.
The submissions cover 153 different topics, but the most popular by far - mentioned by nearly half of all submitters - was an unfunded proposal to build a new $15 million aquatics centre at Mosgiel.
Of those wanting to have their say, 149 people are expected to front up to speak directly to councillors during public hearings running from today until Friday.
Council staff said that included 29 people expected to address tonight's special Mosgiel session on the proposed new pool.
The pencils would then be sharpened as councillors dived into a week of deliberations from next Monday, when the big decisions would be made with the public's views still ringing in their ears.
About 15 reports on the biggest issues were still being finalised by council staff, but were expected to be made public this Wednesday before next week's deliberations.
