A disagreement over the “not-for-profit” status of a Blackbutt kindergarten led to two split votes at this month’s South Burnett Regional Council meeting on Wednesday.
Earlier in the meeting the Council had approved a 100 per cent waiver of $1293 in building assessment and document lodgment fees for the Timbertowns Woodworking Group Inc.
The fees were charged for recent extensions to the group’s premises in Hart Street, Blackbutt, and the waiver was in accordance with the Council’s normal policy of writing off “paperwork charges” for community groups.
However Council officers recommended a request from the Creche and Kindergarten Association Ltd for a waiver of $4116.63 in water supply and sewerage connection charges for extensions to their childcare centre at 36 Sutton Street in Blackbutt be rejected.
The difference between the two, Councillors were told, was that the Timbertowns Woodworking Group was a not-for-profit community organisation while the Creche and Kindergarten Association Ltd was a not-for-profit corporation.
In addition, the woodworkers’ group was requesting a waiver of Council’s “paperwork” charges while the kindergarten was requesting a waiver of charges for physically modifying the town’s water and sewerage infrastructure.
“The town’s trunk infrastructure is a capital expenditure,” Cr Keith Campbell said. “If we agreed to this, then ratepayers would be paying for the costs of a private business.”
Mayor Wayne Kratzmann disagreed.
“This sounds a bit harsh,” he said.
“The extension is 38sq m and will accommodate an extra six children. We should be encouraging the development of facilities like this.”
Cr Damien Tessmann sided with Cr Campbell, saying he thought the kindergarten was essentially a private business that recovered its operating costs from parents who used the facility.
He said this made it a different proposition to a not-for-profit community group.
Mayor Kratzmann replied that the kindergarten was a community organisation, too.
When the issue was put to the vote, councillors were split three-all and the recommendation to reject the kindergarten’s application was lost on the Mayor’s casting vote.
A follow-up motion to approve the fee waiver also led to three-all split vote, which was passed on the Mayor’s casting vote.
Division 2 councillor Deb Palmer had been granted a leave of absence from the meeting, so there were only five Councillors plus the Mayor in attendance.
