Tauranga City Council are to reconsider grass cutting issues at the city's first meeting of the year today.

The city's mower heights were raised in the spring based on the theory that fewer mowings would save around $45,000.

City councillors are holding the first public meeting of 2015 today.

However, the plan ran into opposition as the spring growth took hold. Complaints increased and the feedback received was largely negative.

The council received 29 formal complaints and a significant number of informal complaints were made to councillors, council staff and contractors.

Issues included the grass being too long to walk on or kick a ball. An increase in the amount of dog faeces and general litter was also reported, as was invasive pest plant species like Cape Daisies.

More recently, there have been complaints about the fire risk presented by long, dry grass.

The council are to consider cutting the grass back, and instead save money by closing the Robbin Park tropical display house - a move which will save $100,000.

The city's street gardens are looking safe because while a 25m2 street garden costs approximately $75-$80 per annum to maintain, concreting it will cost $1250 and take 15 years to realise the savings.

Grassing the street gardens will cost $425 per 25m2, says the staff report, and take five years to realise any savings.

Councillors are also looking at selling areas of land bought for future recreation reserves considered surplus since the council changed its rules in 2012. It used to buy up land for sports fields on the basis of 1.7ha per 1000 people.

The new approach is based on actual demand from sportscodes for sportsfields and the corresponding supply requirements.

The council needs to buy sportsfield land at Te Tumu worth about $4.5 million to cater for sportsfield demand from about 2028.

Meanhwile it has about 140ha of land at Smiths Farm (Bethlehem), Merricks Farm (Pyes Pa), Ohauiti Reserve (Ohauiti) and the lower part of Parau Farms (Bethlehem).

Also on the agenda are discussions on economic development, the Southern Pipeline project development contributions policy, Major Event Funding, Papakainga Development and outstanding matters for the long term plan.