A by-election in the Wanaka ward is expected to cost significantly more than the $22,000 it cost the Queenstown Lakes District Council in 2015.
District councillor Ella Lawton is expected to resign from her Wanaka ward seat by April 24, triggering a by-election.
She will run for the Dunstan ward seat on the Otago Regional Council left vacant after the death of her mother, Maggie Lawton, earlier this month.
The last time a by-election was held for a seat on the Queenstown Lakes District Council was in 2015 when then Arrowtown ward councillor Lex Perkins resigned.
The cost of the by-election was $22,779, with most the cost associated with printing and posting ballot papers.