The assessment of damaged council buildings in Christchurch could take two years to complete and cost up to $7 million.
Christchurch City Council is on Thursday considering the schedule for the assessment of the earthquake strength and repairs of 363 council-owned buildings.
Of the 33 buildings assessed so far, 15 have been found to be earthquake-prone indicating they meet less than 33% of the current building code.
The council says this percentage seems high because the most high-risk buildings are looked at first.
Under the proposed process, buildings with a combination of factors such as having high use or being in a particularly dangerous condition will be assessed first.
Council chief executive Tony Marryatt said some members of the community may find the system difficult to accept as some buildings may not be immediately assessed, but he said a city-wide approach was needed.
