Central Otago mayor Tamah Alley has issued a blunt warning to the building sector regarding abuse of council staff: bad behaviour could soon hit you in the pocket.

The issue was raised during a meeting of the Audit and Risk Committee on Monday (December 8), following a report highlighting several incidences of aggression towards the council’s building control team.

While there was general acknowledgement this sort of behaviour was “the exception and not the norm”, Tamah raised the possibility staff might need to attend site visits in pairs in some circumstances for safety.

However, she was adamant if such a change was required, the cost should not fall on the general ratepayer.

"I think it's important that this goes back on the sector because this is a user-pays system," she told the meeting.

"If we have to send two people... because you cannot be trusted to behave like an adult when you are requiring a service from us, then you will pay for two people."

The discussion followed a Health, Safety and Wellbeing report covering July to September.

While total reports of aggression across the council decreased compared to the previous quarter, the report identified a specific concentration of "intimidating behaviour" targeting building control officers.

It detailed incidents where officers faced "loud yelling and swearing" and "suspected unauthorised photography" during site visits, while a third staff member faced "threatening and rude behaviour" during a phone call regarding inspection wait times.

The report also detailed issues at public council facilities, including an incident at a library where a young adult was verbally abused by “two homeless individuals”.

When asked by the mayor if the perpetrators had been trespassed, staff confirmed they had not.

The report also looked at incidents involving contractors, including a biohazard scare where "graffiti was found written in blood" at the Lode Lane toilets in Cromwell.

The meeting discussion emphasised the importance of contractors reporting these incidents back to the council, with staff saying “the more they report it, the more we’re going to understand it” - referring to health, safety, and wellbeing trends across all facets of the council’s work.

Committee chair Bruce Robertson noted the variety of incidents, saying the data "reflects the complexity" of the environment the council operates in.

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