The Itchen St building has lain dormant since the Waitaki District Council assumed ownership in 2015 after the local RSA branch went into liquidation and vested it to the council.
Work to convert the building to another use began, but was delayed when asbestos was discovered.
Then the discovery of a nearly 150-year-old piece of legislation threw another spanner in the works.
Someone reminded the council the Oamaru Town Hall, Gasworks Sites and Recreation Reserves Act 1875, prohibited it from leasing the land the building sits on.
Now a way forward is being proposed through the 2025-34 Long Term Plan.
Among a list of proposals to be included in the LTP is a budget to sponsor a local members Bill through Parliament to fix the RSA site’s legal status.
It is among projects on an LTP list approved by council on October 29 for public consultation.
The council has pencilled in $125,000 in 2025-26 and $75,000 in 2026-27.
Waitaki District mayor Gary Kircher said he was pleased to finally see a move.
"It’s something that has been sitting in the background for quite a long time.
"There’s widespread support in the community to get on and use the building in a more productive way and certainly around the council table, that is something we totally agree with."
The impasse and time lag had been frustrating, he said this week.
"It seemed simple on the surface and something that we all liked to think was very easy to get done. But, it had numerous complexities."
Mr Kircher said the council would need Waitaki MP Miles Anderson’s sponsorship should they go ahead with raising the local bill.
"It’s really important to liaise with the local MP as someone to champion a bill like that."
Consultation for the LTP will begin in February 2025, with council hoping to adopt the plan by May or June.
