May 23, 2017
South Burnett Mayor Keith Campbell has defended a change in Council’s hall hire fees, which will see not-for-profit community groups paying 50 percent of the commercial rate to hire Council-owned halls in future.
The change is flagged to be included in the SBRC’s 2017-2018 Budget, which will be handed down in a month’s time.
However Councillors began implementing the new policy at this month’s General Meeting.
They knocked back four requests to waive 100 per cent of hall hire fees from Sistas In Sync, the Barambah Ministers Association, the Kingaroy Show Society and Wondai Senior Citizens, but agreed to a 50 per cent discount instead.
Today Mayor Campbell said he understood some groups were unhappy with the change, but it was necessary if rate rises were going to be kept as low as possible.
“The South Burnett Regional Council gives away about $1.3 million a year right now to our region’s community groups by way of grants, rate remissions and other types of assistance,” the Mayor said.
“We’ve had a look at what other Councils do, and we’ve found we’re more generous than most and a lot more generous than some.
“This change in hall hire fees is designed to ensure there’s an element of “user pays” in this, because Council is still up for electricity, water use and general maintenance costs whether we charge fees or not.
“If ratepayers were happy with the level of rates we have to charge, then we probably wouldn’t be so sensitive about spending their money.
“But they aren’t, so we’re looking for savings wherever we can find them.”
The Mayor said the new policy restored a practice that had been followed by the former Kingaroy Shire Council, but he didn’t expect it would generate more than $20,000 to $30,000 a year in savings.
“It’s not a money-making exercise – there’s a principle attached to this,” he said.
“If users don’t make some contribution towards hall costs, then all ratepayers wind up having to pay for it.
“Al the same, any group who feels they’re being genuinely disadvantaged should contact their divisional councillor.
“They all have their own discretionary funds and I’m sure they’d be happy to help out.”
