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Mosgiel and Taieri residents say they being treated as second-class ratepayers by having to find more than $7 million themselves to build a new pool.

The council has set aside $6.4 million in its draft 10-year plan to replace the old pool but the community must raise another $7.5 million if wants its preferred design.

So far, the Taieri Community Facilities Trust has raised about $900,000, mainly through private donations.

But there is a perception in the community they are being asked unfairly to stump up more money than was required for other council-funded projects.

Mosgiel resident and fundraising committee member Peter Shanks said the pool highlighted the unequal treatment residents felt they received.

It was hard for residents to accept they needed to raise money when the council spent money on cycleways and proposed a $20 million bridge.

''We're one city aren't we, but sometimes it can seem we are second-class citizens subsidising the rest.''

Mr Shanks said the trust had done well to raise $900,000 in a short time but to many residents the $7.5 million seemed like a ''pipe dream''.

Mayor Dave Cull said the amount set aside by the council had been calculated by how much ratepayer money could be justified on a new pool for a community the size of the Taieri.

Mr Cull said he hoped councillors could debate the possibility of the council contributing more money to the project during the consultation on the 10-year plan, if there were enough submissions.

There was no problem with the community wanting a larger pool with more facilities but they would have to find the extra money themselves, he said.

A similar situation occurred when the Waitati community raised more money than the council provided for the new Blueskin Bay Library, which cost about $830,000, of which the council contributed $500,000, he said.

Trust chairwoman Irene Mosley said people were coming to her questioning why so much of the cost fell on the community when other projects in Dunedin seemed to require far less money.

Potential donors had told her they were not prepared to part with their money until the council was committed to paying a larger share, Mrs Mosley said.

It was a ''Catch 22'' situation for the trust because it needed enough money so the council was confident it could achieve its goal, she said.

Real progress had been made since a working party comprising trust members and three councillors had been formed last year, she said.

tim.miller@odt.co.nz