City Councillors took several million dollars off the back end of the proposed Long Term Plan yesterday to prevent a spread in the ten year plan's middle years.

Staff figures are showing councillors' original wish list would result in council debt going up $505 million dollars between 2012 and 2022. The analysis also shows the council's debt-to-revenue ratio peaking at 220 per cent in 2020.

The waterfront/city centre plans have been cut by $4 million.

The decisions bring net debt back under the $500 million mark, going to $493 in 2021 and cresting at $497 in 2022.

Under the revised figures, the debt/revenue ratio is 219 per cent for 2018/19, but will drop to 189. Rates increases over the plan's term are being held below five per cent.

Mayor Stuart Crosby sees the decisions as fine tuning before the Long Term Plan goes out for public consultation next month.

The extraordinary council meeting was called using the mayoral powers under the Local Government Act. It's only the second time Stuart's used the powers - the first to re-set the committee structure following the last election.

'There could have been lengthy council report, but it's our job to set the annual plan,” says Stuart. 'We could have used a notice of motion or the mayoral powers. The mayoral powers are simply a technique.

'What we are doing is just fine tuning. Looking at elements of the ten year plan when you put it all together, we want to reduce some elements to bring it more in line with where we want to go with rating and debt requirements, before we put the draft out for consultation.”

While the mayoral powers were used to call the meeting, the councillors were fully briefed, says Stuart.

'I don't believe in using the mayoral powers outside my colleagues, like some mayors do,” he adds. 'I don't agree with that. I believe in the one team approach.

'All those components have come from discussion with all the elected members. While my signature is at the bottom, it's with the knowledge of all elected members.”

The changes were passed with little discussion. Catherine Stewart's was the only dissenting vote.

The changes are achieved by reducing funding for resourcing and remuneration from $1.4 million to $1.2 million.

The amount to be spent on the combined city centre and waterfront sped-up is reduced from $12 to $8 million.

Adding a floor to the Elizabeth Street parking building is deferred until the 2024/25 financial year, while another $1.2 million is saved by removing the development of the airport walkway.

The major events funding schedule is also pruned back over the last seven years of the plan. The decision to reduce capital spending on library books to $798,000 is an issue which can only be resolved by going out for public consultation over the reduction in service.