Information released to the Otago Daily Times this week showed three council staff have been dealt with for problems related to illicit drugs, alcohol or medication since 2005, after their erratic behaviour raised "significant concerns".
A focus on rehabilitation meant all three were referred to counselling and other support programmes, but one was also involved in a formal disciplinary process and kept their job, council human resources manager Bruce Miller said.
Only one of the three cases dealt with related to the use of an illicit drug, thought to be marijuana, he said.
About five council staff - an average of one per year - had also requested counselling specifically for drug and alcohol problems since 2005, including one of the three dealt with for erratic behaviour, he said.
The council offered three free counselling sessions to any staff member wanting to address any issue, including drug problems, at $110 per session, with the possibility of more sessions upon request, he said.
About 100 staff took up the offer of one or more sessions last year, meaning a total bill of about $15,000, he said.
"We tend to be reasonably benevolent with it," Mr Miller said.
The information was released to the ODT after a request under the Local Government Official Information and Meetings Act 1987.
It comes after council staff confirmed in January they were considering a new policy on alcohol and other drugs, including random and targeted testing for illicit substances.
The council was obliged to provide a safe workplace and already had general alcohol and drug guidelines and support programmes.
The new policy pulled the guidelines into one document, with more specific instructions and the council's search and surveillance powers spelt out in more detail, council community life general manager Graeme Hall said at the time.
The draft policy would allow random testing for staff in safety-sensitive areas, such as those operating heavy machinery, and those responsible for public safety, such as Moana Pool lifeguards.
Other staff could also be tested if there was reasonable cause to suspect they were impaired, and the policy allowed the search of private property on council premises and the use of covert electronic surveillance.
Potential new recruits could be tested as a condition of employment.
Mr Miller said while no workplace accidents since 2005 had been attributed to drug or alcohol use, two of the three staff worked in "inherently dangerous" areas.
"The potential risk to the organisation in dollar terms, I wouldn't like to put a figure on it, but if someone falls off a roof and kills themselves, then you have got a big problem."
Time spent dealing with identified drug problems - in terms of staff time, counselling sessions and other costs - had already amounted to "tens" of thousands of dollars, he said.
The council was consulting staff and unions on the draft policy and feedback showed no "tide of discontent", he said.
While Mr Miller was pleased with the results given to the ODT, he believed the low figures did not mean a new policy was not needed.
"One of the things about existing without any sort of testing regime is you never know.
"I would never want to think that someone was seriously injured at work because I didn't bother to check."
