"You will probably think we have given you a bit of a beating," he said as Cotton and Strong left the meeting.
They and Whanganui Horizons councillor Nicola Patrick defended Horizons' actions, citing the need for more data, a lack of resources and the need to present well-researched requests for funding to central government.
Massey University has begun interviewing the residents of flood-prone Anzac Pde and will use that information to formulate a resilience strategy for them.
Some residents have already been asked what protection they want, Strong said, but the ownership of many houses has changed since.
The plan will not be finished in time to get funding through Horizons' Long Term Plan, Strong said, and Cotton said any long-term fix needed solid data.
Councillor Josh Chandulal-Mackay asked what had happened to the $50,000 a year rated against an Anzac Pde solution. Strong said any money unspent would still be available.
McDouall said that area could be like Launceston in Tasmania, where people are used to their houses flooding.
"I believe the community can be retained and we can actually have floodable homes. We don't want a place that looks like a mouth missing several teeth."
Strong said Horizons would be happy to work with the council on this, but he didn't want to pre-empt what Massey might decide.
"Once we have got the data it will be front and centre. That's the commitment I will make," Cotton said.
The councillors also asked whether Horizons' Whanganui councillors had done enough to get Horizons to put Whanganui flood resilience projects forward for central government funding.
Patrick said applications to government had to be well-judged to have a chance of success, and Horizons had done well in getting government funding generally.
"I want to build a solid foundation so that we can go to Government about how they might come to the table over Anzac Pde," Strong said.
Horizons is planning a change to the Matarawa Flood Control Scheme, which collects and diverts water from the Matarawa Stream that can flood 600 properties.
But it could take another three years before it gets resource consent to divert all of the stream during a flood.
Getting the consent could entail a "dogfight" among lawyers, and might not be worth it because it would only have "marginal benefit", Strong said.
"A lot of the inundation in the lower reaches of the Matarawa was related to the rainfall in the lower catchment. The detention dams are great, but once they're full the water runs over."
However Hughes said the extra diversion would make a significant difference.
Meanwhile, Whanganui district councillors also urged Horizons Regional Council to appoint a harbourmaster and adopt a bylaw to improve safety on the lower Whanganui River.
Councillor Philippa Baker-Hogan said there had been accidents at the river mouth and she had had a near miss herself.
"I have seen a number of dangerous situations," she said. "We do have some real petrolheads out there."
District councillor Kate Joblin said, "We would really appreciate a decision on a harbourmaster, and we would like a time frame."
