{"id":316496,"date":"2022-04-15T15:19:39","date_gmt":"2022-04-15T05:19:39","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/southburnett.com.au\/news2\/?p=316496"},"modified":"2022-04-15T15:36:33","modified_gmt":"2022-04-15T05:36:33","slug":"trc-urges-funding-model-change","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/southburnett.com.au\/news2\/2022\/04\/15\/trc-urges-funding-model-change\/","title":{"rendered":"TRC Urges Funding Model Change"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"Cr<\/a>
Deputy Mayor Cr Geoff McDonald<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

April 15, 2022<\/strong><\/p>\n

Toowoomba Regional Council has again urged the State Government to review how it allocates funding it receives through the Financial Assistance Grant program.<\/p>\n

The appeal, from Deputy Mayor Cr Geoff McDonald, came after an announcement was made by the Federal Government on April 6 to pre-pay 75 per cent of next year\u2019s funding.<\/strong><\/p>\n

\u201cWe appreciate the Federal Government providing an early payment to assist local governments, however, given the proposed changes in how the money is distributed from the State Government, the Toowoomba Region will likely continue to experience a significant reduction in funding,\u201d Cr McDonald said.<\/p>\n

\u201cUnder the new model, our region is expecting to see a reduction of almost $8 million in operational funding over the next three years unless the State Government reconsiders the way in which these funds are distributed.<\/p>\n

\u201cCouncil is responsible for maintaining $5.4 billion of community infrastructure, including approximately $2.8 billion of road and bridge network.<\/p>\n

“The Financial Assistance Grant contributes to this community infrastructure upkeep and any reduction in this program would directly impact our ability to maintain these assets.<\/p>\n

\u201cIf we aren\u2019t able to reverse this decision, it leaves us in the unenviable position of having to consider either an increase in rates or a reduction in service levels, if not both.<\/strong><\/p>\n

\u201cThis is a terrible outcome for our community who will inevitably be the ones who suffer from this decision.\u201d<\/p>\n

Last week Council met with the Federal Member for Groom Garth Hamilton to bring the matter to his attention.<\/p>\n

Mr Hamilton endorsed Council\u2019s calls for an urgent review.<\/p>\n

\u201cI share the concerns the Toowoomba Regional Council has with the reduction of funding they\u2019re expecting to receive and the negative impact this will have on the community,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis funding program is unique in that it is untied to specific projects, unlike the grant programs allocated by the State Government which are all project-based.<\/p>\n

\u201cFinancial Assistance Grants are provided so local governments can spend it on whatever they like, including plant and equipment.<\/p>\n

\u201cThese grants are determined by population and with Queensland experiencing a significant increase over the past year, it has received a higher portion of the pool.<\/p>\n

\u201cEffectively, the allocation to Queensland continues to grow, and this is combined with the fact the Federal Government continues to increase the overall amount of the program each year, yet the allocation to the Toowoomba Regional Council is expected to decrease which is completely unacceptable.<\/strong><\/p>\n

\u201cLocal governments need this source of funding to ensure ratepayers aren\u2019t left to carry the load so the decision to decrease funding without a clear explanation to our Region, shows a complete lack of transparency from the State Government.\u201d<\/p>\n

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