Councillor Ian Pottinger last month filed a Local Government Official Information and Meetings Act request seeking details on the amount spent on consultants for Project 1225, which includes the new museum for Southland, the tuatara enclosure and also a storage facility in Tisbury.
From July 2021 to February this year, the council spent $5,565,113 in total — $5,198,845 for the museum, $257,097 for the storage facility and $108,371 for the tuatara enclosure.
He believed the amount was excessive and filed a notice of motion asking for the infrastructure and projects committee’s chairman to arrange time for questions around the matter.
Taxpayers’ Union local government campaigns manager Sam Warren said Cr Pottinger was right to raise concerns.
"It’s a complete quagmire. In no way should external consultant costs be allowed to go so high."
He noted the Te Unua Museum of Southland, which was part of "Project 1225" development, had a budget increase of $13m last year, bringing the total of the project to $87m at this stage.
Answers needed to be demanded, Mr Warren said.
"Every dollar spent needs to stand up to scrutiny and ... local ratepayers simply cannot afford these kinds of white elephants."
"To say ‘council has developed a greater understanding of how to deliver’ is a bloody expensive lesson. As Pottinger prepares to dissect consultant costs at the next full council meeting, so too will the Taxpayers’ Union."
The discussion, if approved, would take place at the May 13 meeting.
