Hastings Mayor Lawrence Yule offered to dig into his own pocket yesterday to settle a council property transaction.
But the deal was never going to break the bank - it involved a shed the council had agreed to buy for just $1.
The bargain-priced double-garage building belongs to the Waimarama Civil Defence Committee and sits on a Waimarama Rd section owned by the council.
The shed is next to the Waimarama Rural Fire Headquarters and was built after the council agreed in 2006 to establish the Waimarama Civil Defence Centre.
It houses a four-wheel-drive ute and emergency equipment, to be used in the event of a tsunami or other disaster.