The main issue to be discussed will be the Waitaki District Council's potential role as a commercial developer in a proposed $4 million redevelopment of the Oamaru site.
In February, former Waitaki district councillor Helen Stead wrote to the council opposing approval of the upgrade for an unnamed commercial tenant, widely understood to be Trustpower.
This week, she said she called Friday's meeting at the Brydone Hotel because her views had not changed on the 24/7 call centre planned for the site.
''The council is, I believe, on board supporting heritage, but when it does this sort of thing, it's standing on its own toes all the way - it's not recognising heritage at all,'' Mrs Stead, who has a long history of supporting heritage in Oamaru, said.
''Disrespectful is too soft a word for it, really.''
Another former Waitaki district councillor, Kevin Malcolm, said he was ''exceptionally'' concerned about the direction the council was taking.
''It appears that it has been tried to be slipped under the radar,'' he said.
''Why wasn't this publicly notified right from the start and then expressions of interest asked for at the RSA?''
The council acting as a commercial developer was ''restricting opportunities for actual commercial developers''.
Council property manager Renee Julius confirmed the council would be voting on the future of the building during a council meeting today at which the public would be excluded.
The council would issue a statement following the decision, she said.
Mayor Gary Kircher yesterday defended the council's processes.
''We didn't have the luxury of a lot of time. And so, we - in the wider sense with the council - went through a process that we felt was going to make sure that all the boxes were ticked, but that was going to allow decisions to be made in a timely manner so that we could look after a local business and make sure that they stayed in town.''
