Councillors deliberating on the Dunedin City Council's draft budget yesterday were considering whether to include $150,000 for the bid in the 2012-13 budget.
The money was needed to cover the first of three annual cash contributions to Fifa to help cover tournament costs, but was listed as an unfunded item in the council's draft annual plan for 2012-13.
It remained so at the end of yesterday's debate, after councillors instead voted to refer the bid to the new council subcommittee established earlier this week to consider the future use of the stadium.
The new subcommittee would also be asked to work with Dunedin Venues Management Ltd to progress the bid, while establishing a trust to raise funds to help cover Fifa's tournament costs.
The decisions came after council city strategy and development general manager Sue Bidrose acknowledged the $150,000 price-tag needed for next year's budget was only the start.
That cost had been included because it was confirmed, but further costs were expected to follow in the following two years, depending on how successful Dunedin was in attracting top matches, including the tournament's final.
That meant the council's total exposure could be up to half a million dollars, but "no more than that", she confirmed.
She cautioned against transferring responsibility for pursuing the bid, and the costs that came with it, directly to DVML.
That would simply mean the company, which was already forecasting deficits and looking for ways to save money, would not be able to "cut its cloth" as tightly as it otherwise would have, she warned.
The payment due to Fifa in the next financial year was likely to be the first of three, each of roughly equal size, she said.
Cr Paul Hudson said he was concerned the proposal was being pursued despite uncertainty over costs and with "eyes wide shut".
The council appeared to be at the same stage as when it committed to Rugby World Cup matches, without realising the stadium would lose rental and ticket revenue while the council picked up the cost of traffic management operations, he said.
"I know the ratepayers get a benefit, but the stadium and the city at large incurred a huge cost," he said.
"Until we know what the implications of that are, I would be very reluctant about putting any money in."
Councillors voted to support the recommendations despite his concerns. A decision on which New Zealand cities would host matches was due in August, after a visit to Dunedin by Fifa representatives in June or July, council chief executive Paul Orders said.
There were also early indications Dunedin's football community would be willing to help raise money to offset tournament costs through the trust to be established, he told councillors.
