Steve Goodlass said action should be happening too.
He would like the Otago Regional Council to deal with known problems.
It was fine to look at issues holistically, but the council needed to "act on some of the planning", he said.
Mr Goodlass, who had to deal with flooding in 2018 and 2021, was prompted by last month’s persistent rain to file a Local Government Official Information and Meetings Act request.
The results found their way into an agenda for the Strath Taieri Community Board, which meets on Thursday.
Mr Goodlass commented for board members the response went some way to quantifying the spending of the regional council "and the lack of concrete action".
The council disclosed the cost of an initial report by consultants WSP was $36,129.
Surveys for model development cost $10,800 and there would also have been staff time.
Mr Goodlass asked what concrete mitigations had been put in place.
The council said it had not constructed any flood defence structures in Middlemarch and it did not own any flood or river management assets in the area.
Asked for an executive summary for planning and mitigation work, the council provided a rundown.
In April last year, the council made a commitment to the Strath Taieri Community Board to undertake a three-stage approach to investigate flooding and debris hazards, it confirmed.
The first stage had been completed.
"In April 2024, consultants WSP finalised a technical report investigating floodwater conveyance of March Creek through Middlemarch, with a particular focus on the Taieri Gorge Railway culvert."
Stage 2 assessments were being undertaken by the council’s natural hazards staff.
"The scope of this work is to provide a better understanding of the hydraulic performance of March Creek, Dewar Creek and Rock Creek catchments and their influence on floodwater conveyance through Middlemarch."
This work is expected to be completed by the end of March next year.
Stage 3 work was proposed to include identification of hazards and adaptation approaches and "strategy and work programme development".
An investigation was also being undertaken to understand flooding and restrictions in the Middlemarch township.
Regarding physical mitigation work, this would require council "decisioning" and approval, if feasible.
The council’s engineering team also undertook tactical maintenance through inspections, gravel realignment, vegetation maintenance and erosion management.
The council pointed out it did not own the railway bridge, but it included this in its broader flood hazard investigations to assist the community and the Dunedin City Council in decision-making and potential future interventions.
Mr Goodlass said the intervention that worked last month came from a police officer ensuring deployment of an excavator at a spot where there was "always an issue".
"That stopped water coming down the main road, which was going to put us at risk."
The channel needed to be kept open, but he doubted a major plan was required to deal with such an issue.
