LINTON Community Hub has been given fifteen thousand dollars for the next twelve months.<\/p>\n
The money comes following the end of a year-long funding trial that ended in March, and was approved by Golden Plains Shire council at the Wednesday, 26 April meeting at Bannockburn.<\/p>\n
The funds are to be put towards operational costs like cleaning, maintenance, and utilities.<\/p>\n
The new agreement states the after this further 12-month period, the three groups involved will have to self-fund the facility.<\/p>\n
Deputy-mayor Cr Gavin Gamble proposed an alternative motion that would have seen another funding review would be undertaken next year.<\/p>\n
\u201cComing out of the period of COVID where Linton community groups were in disarray and have had trouble re-establishing themselves, I think it\u2019s really important to give a bit of lead way and just let that stability happen,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
However, that plan was voted down by all other councillors.<\/p>\n
Cr Owen Sharkey likened the decision to going to the supermarket with his children.<\/p>\n
\u201cOne of my reasons in which I really grapple over this is the same reason when I take my three kids to do shopping,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
\u201cI can\u2019t give one child something and not the others as the cost becomes too tall.<\/p>\n
\u201cThey are a fantastic group down there that do a huge amount of work but they\u2019re one of the 1000 groups in the whole Shire who do fantastic work.\u201d<\/p>\n
Cr Helena Kirby said she hopes the Linton community come together to ensure the hub keeps running.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019m all for the Linton community really coming alive,\u201d she said. \u201cIt\u2019s not up to us around the council table, it\u2019s up to the Linton and district community to make this go ahead.\u201d<\/p>\n
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Petition received for response<\/strong><\/p>\n Councillors voted in favour of receiving a petition wanting to stop Golden Plains Shire rezoning and selling public land in Bannockburn.<\/p>\n Mayor Cr Brett Cunningham left the room for the discussion after declaring a conflict of interest because he has a family member who lives in the area and has lodged a complaint.<\/p>\n Council choosing to receive of the petition means municipal CEO, Eric Braslis, \u00a0will consider the document and provide a response.<\/p>\n A main issue of contention in acknowledging the petition was that did not contain full addresses from all respondents, which is a requirement under governance rules.<\/p>\n Legal advice was sought by the Shire which decided the petition did contain enough information for it to be accepted despite not having some full addresses.<\/p>\n \u201cYes, we all believe in a democratic society and a petition is one way to get your voice across, however, when we do a petition it would be really good if we could have names and correct addresses,\u201d said Cr Kirby.<\/p>\n \u201cOnline ones are very easy to just sit behind a computer and make something up but at the end of the day us councillors need to have direct information as to who is signing the petition.<\/p>\n \u201cJust going by some of the names that I did read on the petition, there are names that I know and it\u2019s coming up that they live in Melbourne with the postcode of 3000.\u201d<\/p>\n Cr Sharkey echoed a similar sentiment.<\/p>\n \u201cIf you want to put a fair dinkum, honest petition forward I think we as a councillor group would rather see 20 people signing a petition with detailed names as opposed to change.org which makes their money by promoting petitions getting more signatures.\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n