They were tested late last year over the new South Dunedin Library and Community Complex.
The complex is due to open in the middle of this year. Its capital cost is about $22 million, and its annual running costs are about $2.8m.
The library is being built after decades of earnest lobbying, notably after the tireless efforts of the late Anne Turvey, a former councillor.
It will be more than a traditional library and include community rooms.
As fewer people borrow fewer books, library roles are also changing.
Their broader place and ancillary purposes are becoming more important.
South Dunedin is only a few kilometres from the city’s central library, and bus services are frequent.
There were strong arguments against the large and ongoing library expenses.
Nevertheless, South Dunedin is an identifiable and substantial community. The decision was made to establish and fund the library. Community rooms became part of the plan.
In December, it emerged that the council had decided, citing spiralling costs, that while the 1000sqm of the ground floor would be for the library and some community rooms, the 1000sqm upstairs would be fully rented out.
The council’s property team was advertising for and would select tenants who could pay "full market rent" to help the council cover its ongoing running costs, which include staff and maintenance.
Cr Sophie Barker said it was important to get the library delivered.
"In these challenging financial times, it is about balancing the community’s aspirations against the reality."
Decisions were finalised at a public-excluded meeting last November, only becoming apparent last month. The process was poor.
The council and its decision-making should have been more transparent, and the council should have fronted up unambiguously.
It seems, too, that discussions and consultations with community groups were overly optimistic, even misleading. This has heightened that sense of betrayal.
Not surprisingly, comparisons have been made with Dunedin Hospital and promises made and reneged.
Debate about the matter has featured in the ODT over the past few weeks.
Cr David Benson-Pope has called the full tenanting short-sighted and former mayor Aaron Hawkins has said the decision fails to put the community at the centre.
On the other hand, Bill Acklin has said that when the two-storey King Edward St site was put to councillors, part of the arrangement was to lease the top floor.
The building was twice the size of that originally planned and there had been no broken promises, he said.
Mrs Turvey’s daughter, Ruth Graham, said her mother would not have opposed leasing the upstairs space. The promise to establish a South Dunedin library made after the amalgamation of St Kilda Borough and Dunedin in 1989 was being fulfilled. The ground-floor services were impressive, Mrs Graham said. In the council committee meeting on November 25, staff presented options to councillors.
Crs Steve Walker and Mandy Mayhem put forward a motion that the council "decides that the upper level of the South Dunedin Library and Community Complex be a mixed-lease model". They were supported in a vote by Crs Christine Carey and Marie Laufiso. Cr Benson-Pope was absent from that meeting. Six other councillors — Crs Acklin, Barker, Kevin Gilbert, Carmen Houlahan, Brent Weatherall and deputy mayor Cherry Lucas — supported a motion for full commercial leasing on the top floor.
Of course, it would have been nice to have heavily subsidised space on the second floor. However, the council must be tight with its costs.
Anything other than the basics must be carefully scrutinised, especially because of the enormous Three Waters costs coming down the pipeline for all councils.
The local government elections roll around again this year. Councillors should be critically examined for what they have supported and their attitudes to council spending.
