Much has been made of the $150 million cuts at recent election forums, but ratepayers are still mostly in the dark as to what has been slashed from the community 10-year plan.
Among projects that had the chop just before the year-long pruning programme began in July last year were the $11.5 million Wanaka aquatic centre and the $30 million QLDC offices.
Around the same time as the council decided to attack the plan, it deferred several major projects to between 2014-20.
It is not known how they have fared in the cost-cutting exercise.
Steering group member Cr Leigh Overton, of Wanaka, was unable to provide full details of the reduction but signalled in an interview with the Otago Daily Times it would be a "reality check for the community".
Projected growth rates were slowing and development contributions had reduced, Cr Overton said.
"We have been cruising along with development contributions and have been the envy of other councils ... who haven't got a fraction of our budget.
"Our budget has been cut by 50% this year. We are now in a different economic environment," he said.
He said it would take 12 months to do a proper, accurate assessment.
Council staff and steering committee members had met fortnightly to go over items one by one, reprioritising, halving budgets or finding cheaper ways of getting the work done, he said.
"The council will be brought up to speed with where the committee is up to and they will have the opportunity to see if they are in agreement or not.
"They may disagree with some of the things, obviously," he said.
QLDC finance manager Stewart Burns said when contacted the report had been compiled by him, community services general manager Paul Wilson, infrastructure services manager Mark Kunath and consultant company Rationale, of Arrowtown.
Mr Burns could not release the report until the steering committee had decided what to do with it, but he hoped it could be made public as soon as possible after the meeting.
Actions could include making minor amendments before it goes before the full council for adoption on October 6.
"What I can say is good progress has been made. We are well on our way to achieving it," Mr Burns said.
The council's 10-year plan was approved in April last year, despite warnings from Mr Burns it was financially unaffordable and would lead to more than $400 million in projected debt.
However, the plan was adopted because the council wanted to signal to ratepayers it did not have enough funding sources to pay for the "nice-to-have" items and that the wish list would incur higher projected debt, bigger rates increases and cause problems with funding essential infrastructure.
The council then notified the projected debt to the office of the Auditor-general - which recently imposed a qualification on the long-term plan - and set up the steering committee.
The long-term goal is to remove another $150 million after October's election but before starting work on the 2012-22 plan.
The steering committee comprises Cr Overton, deputy mayor John S.
Wilson, of Wanaka, and Wakatipu councillors John Mann and Vanessa van Uden.
