January 20, 2019
Community groups who want to upgrade buildings or facilities they lease from the South Burnett Regional Council should apply for Council permission before they receive grant funding to carry out the work.
At January’s monthly meeting, Councillors approved applications from three different community groups to upgrade their facilities, which led to a brief discussion about the proper process.
Cr Gavin Jones said during his term in office he had seen some groups get grants for improvements before they asked for Council permission to carry them out.
He warned this could land them in hot water if permission was declined.
To avoid this, Cr Jones said the right way was to secure Council approval first, then look for funding once this had been obtained.
At the meeting – in three separate motions – Councillors granted approval to the:
- Blackbutt Lions Club to replace existing louvre windows with aluminium-framed sliding glass windows in a Council-owned building the club occupies in Blackbutt to improve security
- Murgon Men’s Shed to erect a new shed on land they are licensed to use by Council in Macalister Street; the shed will house restored vintage tractors, wooden drays, sulkies, buggies and a Cobb & Co coach
- South Burnett Musical Comedy Society to build a second shed at the South Burnett Enterprise Centre in Kingaroy to store costumes and construct sets
Cr Jones said most groups followed correct procedure but from time to time some did not, and this could cause headaches.
Cr Terry Fleischfresser agreed, saying Council wanted to help community groups as much as possible, not throw barriers in their way.
“Following proper procedure helps ensure everything goes smoothly,” he said.
