Rangitikei Mayor Andy Watson wants the Rangitikei District Council to have an audit and risk committee and it is due to vote on it today.
Rangitikei has never had one but Local Government New Zealand has recommended them and Mr Watson has pushed for one, too.
The first-term mayor reinstated finance and assets committees last year but wanted to take time to consider creating an audit and risk committee and who would be on it. He said councils were required to look at and assess risk but that duty was currently being done by the council's finance staff.
He also wants the new committee to have an independent chairman and has indicated up to $10,000 for remuneration could be made available. However, he wants to keep that cost as low as possible. Some councils use their own councillors to chair such committees.
"My understanding is best practice is to use someone independent if you can."
The new committee, which will include senior councillors Lynne Sheridan, Deputy Mayor Dean McManaway and Mr Watson, will look at areas such as shared services and joint ventures and assess the risk of various proposals. "So it's reasonably widespread."
He said an audit and risk committee was worthwhile and pointed to the Kaipara District Council which was in deep debt, partly due to a botched wastewater project.
He said a committee as he has proposed would provide checks and balances to ensure such a situation didn't occur in Rangitikei.