Two Ward 1 councillors have warned that more must be spent on council assets, including roads, bridges, footpaths and buildings.
Responding to a report debated at last week's meeting, Greens Cr Kerry Brown said she was concerned at the "grossly inadequate asset renewal".
The report acknowledged that "much work still remains to be done in addressing the city's ageing infrastructure".
In 2015, council was spending only 19 per cent of required funds on renewing assets; this has now increased to 66 per cent of required expenditure.
Cr Brown said it should be 100 per cent.
"This is not an aspirational benchmark. It is an annual requirement.
"It is no good having reduced debt by one or even ten million if over a billion dollars of community assets are being run down. It is like paying off the mortgage as quickly as you can while your home is collapsing from unreplaced timbers with dry rot," she said.
Liberal Cr Kevin Schreiber said many assets needed some "tender loving care".
"I just think we have got to put more money towards our assets because they are not up to scratch. I realise we have had a lot of trouble with weather ... but there's a lot of work that has to be done," he said.