Council candidate Murray Guy says council staff are interfering with the electoral process and wasting ratepayer funds with a new rules interpretation over election campaign signs.

The five Mount Maunganui/Papamoa ward candidates are permitted to place their election signs now, but Murray insists there's been changes at city hall since he was last there in October 2013.

Murray Guy, who is about to dust off his signs ahead of next month's election.

The good old days, where candidates were given blanket approval to put up election signs as long as they were consistent with council policy, are gone.

Now, every sign has to have its location approved. Candidates are required to complete forms which identify the quantity and specific location of any sign and all signs have to be approved by the city council transportation and parking department.

The old system didn't impose additional costs of the ratepayer, because the monitoring staff that ensured the candidate signs obeyed the rules were already employed by the council.

Five candidates in a ward election aren't going to tax staff resources, but Murray's concerned that processing the signage rights of the 50 or more candidates in local body elections, including district health board and regional council hopefuls, will cost ratepayers.

The five candidates can use Google Earth and put yellow dots on the locations they wish to use before sending it to council, says Murray.

'The staff say they won't even go out and have a look to see where people are putting them,” he says. ”There's just no benefit.

'What they have done now is open the door to inadvertently disadvantage candidates.”

'The only rationale staff have provided me by email is to comply with the policy. Well the old system did comply. It sounds to me like bureaucracy trying to create rules for the sake of it.”

'Will they put the same requirements on the TECT elections? Well, they will have to, and there's also central government,” says Murray.

'I suspect there's been a staff change and they have just decided to put their stamp on things.”

Tauranga City Council manager legal and governance Kirsty Downey-McGuire says The Street Use and Public Places Bylaw 2013 contains provisions relating to the erection of signage on public land.

The Bylaw requires approval to be obtained from council for the siting of election signs on or in a public place. The Bylaw also requires those signs comply with council's policy, which includes the requirement that no sign be displayed in a public place without written council permission.

A process has been created to ensure the council is consistent in applying the bylaw, that elections signs do not present a risk to public safety, that the council remains impartial in the process and that public places are managed for the well-being of the public.

The TCC Candidate Handbook has had changes made since the October 2013 local body elections concerning election signs.

This decision was made by staff from council's bylaws, parking, transportation, legal and monitoring teams.

Voting papers for the election will be posted early next week and should arrive in the 31,409 electors' mailboxes next Tuesday or Wednesday.

The postal ballot closes at noon on February 17, with the result expected to be known later the same day.