Queenstown Lakes District Council principal rural fire officer Gordon Bailey has recommended the council support an enlarged rural fire district for Otago.
In a report to be considered at the council's final full meeting for this triennium, in Wanaka on Tuesday, Mr Bailey also recommends the council request the National Rural Fire Authority begin the formalities of the amalgamation process.
He said ''clear benefits'' could be realised through amalgamation, including opportunities to improve rural fire services and governance, training, succession planning and risk management.
While operating costs would be higher, ''efficiencies of scale and improved resource allocations are expected to drive costs down in the future''.
The operating costs for the first year for the new entity were forecast to be $240,000 higher than the combined funding rural fire authorities could realise from existing budgets, with transitional costs estimated to be $100,000, including project management and associated legal and administrative expenses, proposed to be apportioned on the same basis as operating expenses.
QLDC's present operating costs were $309,133, with $248,033 ''releasable'' to the new entity. QLDC's share of transitional costs would be $14,647, with additional operating costs in year one of $46,772.
Mr Bailey said senior executives of existing rural fire authorities had agreed to support an amalgamation and to recommend that to their respective governing bodies.
To give effect to the recommendation, the governing bodies would need to enter into individual stakeholder agreements, approve funding of forecast transition expenses and ''ultimately approve a three-year funding commitment to the enlarged rural fire authority'', based on forecast operating expenses and existing contribution ratios.
