Wanganui District councillors have agreed to carry out a review of all council activities and services in an attempt to save $6 million over the next three years.
But it will be up to the next council to decide whether the review will go ahead or not.
At a special meeting on Friday, councillors voted in a raft of measures aimed to rein in spending. These included replacing the annual plan with a three-year plan, recommending a new meeting structure for the next council and setting up an internal working party to take part in a policy review.
Councillors also agreed to make a recommendation to the next council that a full review of every council function is undertaken, with the aim of identifying cost savings and efficiencies.
A new council will be voted in at the local government elections on October 12.
The council's finance and corporate service manager Julian Harkness said if the local authority didn't reduce costs it would find itself facing a peak debt of $127 million and average annual rates increases of 8 per cent.
Mr Harkness said that in the past 10 years, the council had nearly doubled the number of assets it owns.
"As they increase, obviously the cost of replacing them increases," he said.
"There have been some unforeseen costs, such as those associated with the wastewater treatment plant and dealing with earthquake-prone buildings. They're a game changer."
Mr Harkness said to keep annual rates' increases at a maximum of 5 per cent, the council would need to cut $1.4 million in the first year, $1.6 million in the second and $3.8 million in the third.
One area of concern was council meetings, Mr Harkness said.
"The time to compile regular council and committee meetings' agenda reports is estimated at 5945 hours of officer time, and the estimated cost of officer and councillor time is approximately $870,000."
He said council papers were often large and hard for people to absorb.
"Our officers' work can be dominated by preparing for council meetings, rather than implementing policy," he said.
Mayor Annette Main agreed that council meetings and agendas had become "unwieldy".
"I'm sure they could be streamlined. Perhaps we could look at the use of technology to make things more efficient and cost effective," she said.
Mr Harkness suggested that the council could have one full-day meeting per month, rather than three separate committee meetings plus full council meeting every six weeks.
Several councillors objected to this suggestion, including Rob Vinsen and Hamish McDouall.
"Imagine what the agenda would be like.
"All-day meetings would be a real challenge for most people, and I don't think it would work," Mr Vinsen said.
Mr McDouall said committee meetings were "part of the democratic process".
"They provide a check to the council, and I'd be loath to see them go," he said.