Invercargill City Council is preparing to take off its training wheels after a tumultuous period that included potential government intervention.
Invercargill (file photo). Photo: 123RF
The Department of Internal Affairs contacted the council last August while following up reports of rising tensions.
Two external appointees were started earlier this year, charged with guiding the council to ensure it could function as a governing body.
A recent progress report painted a more positive picture but acknowledged there continued to be concerns about a leadership void.
Councillors discussed whether to transition the appointees away from the council over the next six months at an extraordinary committee meeting on Monday morning.
Independent governance expert Bruce Robertson said it was an important step for the council.
"We need to take the training wheels off and prove to ourselves and the department that we can manage our ways in a manner consistent with the Local Government Act and the minister's expectations.
"This is a pathway for dealing with that."
He strongly supported the transition.
External appointee Lindsay McKenzie also backed the plan.
"There's been a degree of socialisation of these proposals and there's a high probability that there will be a strong measure of support when they get to the council table," he said.
"I think we just need to proceed on an eyes wide open basis and maintain a degree of flexibility and resilience if the future circumstance requires it and the path is not as smooth as we anticipate."
Only Mayor Sir Tim Shadbolt voted against transition, saying he felt uneasy about the plan and did not believe the proposed process for changing structure and responsibilities was part of local government law.
"I don't think it's enhancing our democratic spirit to have changes of this scale so I'll be voting against it and have my name recorded," he said.
In response to Sir Tim, councillor Darren Ludlow said the Department of Internal Affairs was aware of the plan.
"With respect your Worship, the whole process is one that we outlined to DIA at the beginning. There was always a proposal to begin to transition out before the next election and that's simply what we're going about now.
"There's no deviation from that original plan that we put forward after we received their initial letter."
Part of the recommendations given a green light included appointing councillors Nigel Skelt, Lesley Soper and Graham Lewis to the Project Governance Group, confirming that only one external appointee needed to attend committee and council meetings, and plans to phase out the appointees from next month.
The councillors also signed off on a proposal to carry out a review in March to see what progress had been made and noted that staff would prepare a report to the DIA at the appropriate time.
The report was expected to be tabled at a council meeting later this month.