The Gore District Council still has questions around any merging of the local body councils in Southland and will not be spending any more money than it has to on the proposal.
The Southland District Council launched a reorganisation initiative last year, after Mayor Rob Scott’s campaign to combine the four entities around Southland into two unitary authorities.
The Gore District Council was contacted for information and voted unanimously to send relevant information to central government, albeit with some grumbling.
Cr Neville Phillips was quick to inquire about the costs of such a venture, asking to see the potential cost of compiling the information before it was sent.
Cr Andy Fraser said he agreed with Cr Phillips, as it was a time when the Gore District Council needed to keep spending to an "absolute minimum".
Council chief executive Debbie Lascelles, who would be responsible for the response, said the only cost would be her time.
Deputy mayor Keith Hovell called a point of order, asking for the statement " ... notes that a council’s support for amalgamation ... " be amended to "support or otherwise", seconded by Cr Dickson.
Mayor Ben Bell, who has spoken against amalgamation in the past, said it was the wrong time to discuss the issue given the "chocker" workload the council had at that moment.
"We’re doing three plans at the moment, a triple whammy of things to do. [We have the] district plan, the long-term plan and the consultation period for water service delivery," he said.
Cr Glenys Dickson pointed out inaccuracies in the brochure delivered around households earlier in the year.
Mr Bell said he agreed, and the council should focus on its own measures and leave it to Central to explore.
