A request for up to $2 million from the Central Otago District Council towards the Maniototo Hospital rebuild is one of the proposals being highlighted in the council's annual plan.
Ratepayers are being asked whether they should provide nothing, $1 million, $1.5 million or $2 million towards the project. The money would be funded either by a loan over 25 or 40 years, or by a combination of a loan and proceeds from selling two Maniototo properties owned by the Maniototo Community Board.
Various projections for the loan repayments are included in the 2017-18 annual plan document, which features an average district rates rise of 2.8%.
The council is planning to spend $17.1 million for the 2017-18 year and is projected to record a $3.6 million surplus.
The plan highlights several other major projects, including a proposal to spend $5.6 million on renovating the Cromwell Memorial Hall. Half the money would come from the sale of council land, and the other half from grants.
The plan also seeks feedback on whether the council should spend $187,000 developing a self-drive touring route through Central Otago. The touring route would go from Queenstown to Dunedin via Cromwell, Alexandra, Omakau, the Ida Valley, Ranfurly, Middlemarch and Outram.
The council is also proposing to spend $9.6 million on the Cromwell wastewater treatment plant upgrade.
The CODC last week announced it had awarded an ''operate, design and construct'' contract for the project to Downer NZ Ltd, working in conjunction with Harrison Grierson Ltd, an Auckland-based design consultancy.
Construction is expected to start by the end of this year and all works be concluded ''in good time'' for the commencement of the plant's new resource consent on January 1, 2019.
The contract is worth $5.7 million, comprising construction costs of $5 million and operating costs of $755,000 over four years.
The final $9.6 million cost of the project includes costs to connect Bannockburn to the Cromwell treatment plant and decommission the Bannockburn wastewater ponds.
Submissions on the 2017-18 annual plan opened last week and close on April 24. The plan is then due to be adopted on June 28.
