At its meeting yesterday, the council's audit and risk committee considered a detailed seismic assessment report on the hall and discussed how the assessment could impact other earthquake-prone council buildings.
The seismic report said the hall was at 10-15% of new building standard (NBS), significantly lower than the legal threshold of 34%.
Council property and facilities manager Mike Kerr said the 330-person capacity building would need improvements to increase its NBS grade to 34%, at a cost of about $200,000.
Council planning and environment executive manager Louise van der Voort said the rating did not mean it was a dangerous building.
"If it was a a dangerous building we would be required to close it.''
The committee - which could only advise the council, not make decisions for it - needed to decide on the advice it would give regarding what to do with the building.
The committee resolved to recommend the council take the Memorial Hall off a list of buildings to be used in emergency situations.
However, the issue of whether or not to keep it open was complex, as the committee discussed who would have the authority to do that.
The Cromwell Community Board could decide, but that would impact the council's ability to manage other earthquake-prone buildings district-wide, committee member Neil Gillespie said.
"We've got to have a clear policy that covers the district, rather than on a board-by-board basis,'' Mayor Tim Cadogan said.
Mr Cadogan said under law, the council had 12 and a-half years to bring the Memorial Hall up to 34% NBS.
It was decided that a framework would be tabled to council, by August at the earliest, which would help council staff manage the hall and other earthquake-prone buildings in the district.
