TUESDAY\u2019S Golden Plains Shire council meeting was once again streamed online with no public access to the chamber due to the ongoing pandemic.<\/p>\n
The big-ticket item of the night was the 2020\/21 budget and two factions developed on the way forward for the financial plan.<\/p>\n
A key addition to the budget was an allocation of $100,000 to a financial assistance grant program aimed at helping rate payers seriously affected by the pandemic.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe know that many residents and businesses continue to suffer financially during this COVID-19 period and we also know for many households their financial situation remains the same,\u201d said deputy-mayor Cr Joanne Gilbert.<\/p>\n
\u201cRather than reduce service or borrow extra money to give everyone a rate freeze I believe it makes more sense to give financial support to those who need it most.\u201d<\/p>\n
Other key Changes to the final budget included a reduced garbage charge from $340 to $335.<\/p>\n
Also added was spending of $1.3 million for road and infrastructure projects, $3000 for an increase in Municipal Association of Victoria membership, and $1.1 million extra income from the Working for Victoria grant fund.<\/p>\n
A budget submission from the Maude community also received a favourable response with $15,500 set aside for bringing town water to the toilets at Maude Recreation Reserve.<\/p>\n
Cr David Evans attempted an additional amendment to the budget motion that would have seen the two per cent rate rise not go ahead but didn\u2019t detail how the budget would account for the $420,000 income hit.<\/p>\n
However, he did claim that the money saved, about $40 per rate payer, would benefit local business.<\/p>\n
\u201cAny saving in rates to anybody in this Shire will be spent here,\u201d he said. \u201cThey are our residents, be it in hardship or not, it will be spent here.\u201d<\/p>\n
In supporting Cr Evan\u2019s amendment Cr Helena Kirby also picked up on the local spending angle with a focus on a kind of trickle-down economic model.<\/p>\n
\u201cYes, there are residents who can still afford to pay the full amount,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n
\u201cBut if they could redirect their savings into either helping their neighbours, by buying from a local business, or employing a trades person for that odd job, or buying online, that means we can keep our Shire alive and prosperous.\u201d<\/p>\n
While Cr Evans didn\u2019t seem to factor in the impact of a rate freeze, Cr Des Phalen did. Not just now but in the future.<\/p>\n
\u201cRight now we\u2019ve got to look at where we\u2019re going as a municipality and what we will lose with a rate freeze,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s put us back about five or six years for the ongoing viability of this municipality and I think it\u2019s a very retrograde step because at the end of the day\u2026 we are going to help the people that really need the help.\u201d<\/p>\n
Cr Evans, after seeing his amendment defeated and claiming he was only seeking to help \u201cthe poor people crawling across the plain,\u201d then somewhat ironically turned on the detail of the $100,000 financial assistance grant program.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe situation of Cr Gilbert\u2019s motion of $100,000, how is it possibly\u2026 going to happen,\u201d he said. \u201cWe have no policy what so ever in relationship to helping anybody individually or collectively.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe $100,000 is a joke, it will not be handled well, and I think it\u2019s just a waste of time.\u201d<\/p>\n
Cr Kirby also voted against the budget, all other councillors voted for the finical plan.<\/p>\n
Along with the approved additions the 2020\/21 budget has a total operating revenue of $50.1 million, operational expenditure of $43.9 million, an operating surplus $6.1 million but an underlying deficit of $1.8 million.<\/p>\n
The total of capital works set for the next 12 months will run to $15.0 million.<\/p>\n
\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n Praise for Shire workers<\/strong><\/p>\n After the budget passed mayor Cr Owen Sharkey noted the sacrifice made by Shire staff during the pandemic.<\/p>\n \u201cI would like to acknowledge the work council officers done throughout the past few months to continue offering council\u2019s services to the community,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n \u201cMany people will be unaware that during this COVID period the council\u2019s CEO and management team did forgo their entitled leave and worked extra days every week.<\/p>\n \u201cIn addition, many officers also took leave, and some took unpaid leave, to support the budget and the organisation during this difficult period.<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s important to recognise this team effort\u2026 and I would like to say thank you.\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Rubbish policy put out<\/strong><\/p>\n The Shire\u2019s draft Waste and Resource Recovery Strategy received approval to go out for public comment.<\/p>\n Outlining how rubbish, recycling and green waste will be handled in the municipality for the next 10 years, the document also covers the transfer station, littering and illegal dumping, waste generated by the municipality itself, closed landfill sites and community generated waste.<\/p>\n The strategy was put together following community consultation in late 2019 via four listening posts, a community panel and publication in the Shire\u2019s Gazette<\/em>. In the end 723 responses were received, 160 hard copies and 563 via web, with 45 per cent coming from Bannockburn.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n