But he said staff did an informal whip-around and paid for the tattoo that way instead.
'I have no idea how much the tattoo cost, but imagine it was a three-figure sum' he said.
Celia Wade-Brown got the gecko tattooed just above her ankle in December.
Richard MacLean said there is a bit of a tradition that outgoing mayor's get some sort of ratepayer funded gift, so they also agreed to get a park bench installed in honour of Wade-Brown.
"It's a bit more slightly prosaic, and people would say less racy gift," he said.
The tattoo request was leaked to the Taxpayers' Union via its tip-line.
The Union has praised the Wellington City Council for not using public money for the tattoo.
Executive Director Jordan Williams said it is not appropriate in his view for a council to pay for body art.
He said they are perplexed that a former senior elected official thought it was appropriate that ratepayers' fund her body art.
He said it is perhaps the most unusual spending request they have ever come across.
Richard MacLean said Williams' comments say more about the Taxpayers' Union that it does about anything else.
He said the amount of time and money spent responding to the Union's truly pathetic requests is an enormous expense.
"One day we'll have to sit down and cost out how much their useless approach to official information requests is costing the ratepayer."
Wade-Brown is surprised people are talking about her tattoo. She said she hasn't given it a lot of thought, and was happy with a park bench.
