Tauranga City Council is preparing the ground for the eventual repair or replacement of the leaking and mouldy civic campus buildings.

A project steering group is being prepared with three councillors appointed.

It was originally going to be two councillors but another was added after John Robson asked where the council was with the project steering group in terms of responsibility to the community.

'We are in fact the people who represent the community,” says John.

Bill Grainger's suggestion of four councillors wasn't taken up. Councillors Gail McIntosh, Bev Edlin are nominated, with mayor Stuart Crosby as an alternate.

The appointments follow a council decision on June 1 to start a new project using robust business case methodology to assess all the strategic issues and responsibilities associated with the future of the campus buildings.

Reports available to councillors show the city council buildings are bad enough 'to warrant consideration of options other than remediation of existing buildings”.

Stachybotrus mould was discovered in the buildings on December 15, forcing the immediate evacuation of many staff.

Chrysosporium mould was also discovered and now most council staff are located in rented offices.

The council buildings leak and may not be able to be economically repaired. The upper stories were built over leaking lower levels with the hope that would stop leaking. It didn't.

The second floor of Block A was constructed in 2003/4 in an attempt to rectify previous weather tight issues, but the asphalt surface of the carpark deck wasn't sealed before construction of the second floor.

The balcony outside council chambers has numerous cracks allowing water in. Dye testing couldn't trace the water internally, which suggests there is a void between the second floor and the original car park deck which is acting as a reservoir.

Submissions made during the Long Term Plan process made good cases for knocking everything down and starting over with a purposely designed and built city centre and plaza linking with the Masonic Park and waterfront.

The council has set aside $2 million for building contingency issues, but announcing the project steering group means the council is considering all the options.

A PSG is required when the total project value exceeds $5 million, or where the project is a discrete part of a larger project more than $10 million project, where the project involves a significant degree of political or organisational risk, and where the project is subject to significant public interest or scrutiny, and is linked to other significant projects with a high degree of inter-dependence.

Staff advice is the civic precinct project is expected to cost more than $5 million. It will be subject to a high degree of political risk and public scrutiny and is linked to other significant projects that have been approved through the 2015-25 LTP including the proposed car park building and city centre investment.

Staff are in the process of scoping the project brief for the project and developing the project plan and project structure for discussion with the Project Steering Group.