Waikato Regional Council is assessing dozens of office blocks around Hamilton to accommodate its growing operation after plans to build a new $34 million building in the city were shelved.
The regional council pays more than $600,000 a year in rent for 15 properties. Most of the money goes towards buildings in Hamilton because the council's headquarters at 401 Grey St is ill-equipped to house growing staff numbers and has leak problems, according to information released to the Herald under the Official Information Act.
But the seven extra buildings in Hamilton are not enough for the council's 416 staff and it is looking at leasing more properties to accommodate 33 new staff being employed from next month and to house existing staff while $1.6 million of remedial work is carried out on the leaky headquarters.
Last month the council shelved plans to build a $34 million headquarters on council-owned land on the corner of Cook and Grey Sts for two years after council chief executive Bob Laing said it should wait for the outcome of the local government reform before going ahead with it.
The council's corporate services manager, Junine Stewart, said the rationale for the council to develop a new building on one site was to reduce accommodation costs related to multiple services.
