Cromwell Museum chairman Martin Anderson said the reason he was at the meeting was to ask the board to convince the council to approve about $25,000 in emergency funding.
The museum was reliant on funding from lotteries grants, but they had received only half of the $20,000 they usually received each year, he said.
The council grant had increased to $40,000 in the 2021-31 long term plan but that had not kept up with the rate of inflation.
In an accountability report to the board in late 2023, Mr Anderson expressed concerns about the funding gap, should a lotteries grant not be available.
With a $40,000 grant from the council and the museum’s total yearly expenditure of $80,000, the lack of a lotteries grant would create a gap that would need to be bridged, he said in 2023.
"I said to you last time when that happens, and it truly will happen one day, we will come knocking on your door. So you are forewarned."
Also during that meeting then Central Otago District Mayor Tim Cadogan asked how Cromwell Museum Trust could justify moving into a new $6million-$8m building with only an average of 14 people visiting a day.
Mr Anderson countered by saying the new location in the new Cromwell Memorial Hall would attract more visitors due to the cycle trails being nearby.
Other grants had been received from Pub Charities and Te Papa but they were for use on projects, as opposed to operations, he said.
On Monday Mr Anderson said time was running out for the museum, as the next round of funding applications was not until July.
The museum needed $25,000 to get through until the end of the financial year, he said.
Board chairwoman Anna Harrison thanked Mr Anderson for outlining the museum’s situation but said the board could not make funding decisions.
