Dunedin Mayor Dave Cull was reluctant to comment late yesterday, after councillors again considered the crematorium's future in a non-public part of yesterday's Dunedin City Council meeting.
The Otago Daily Times understands the council is considering selling the facility, while private operator Hope and Sons publicly confirmed this month it had previously been approached by the council and remained an interested buyer.
Councillors had considered an item on the crematorium during the non-public part of a community development committee meeting earlier this month, leading to the matter being referred to yesterday's full council meeting.
However, contacted after the meeting, Mr Cull would only say no decisions had yet been made and more work was required.
"We're still looking at options and [the] implications of those."
Pressed for a timeframe, he would only say: "I could say two weeks and I could be wrong. It's too early to say when this will be canvassed.
"The important thing is to get the facts and implications right and clear.
"It will take however long it takes to do that."
His comments came after Hope and Sons director Michael Hope said last week his company had discussed the crematorium with the council repeatedly in recent years, and shelved plans for its own crematorium after another approach by the council last year.
Mr Cull would not comment when asked yesterday if the council would be talking again to Hope and Sons.
It was expected any sale of the crematorium would be referred back to the community development committee for further discussion, once further work was complete. Committee chairman Cr Bill Acklin also declined to comment yesterday.
