YABBY racing. It’s not a subject one would expect to spark a spirited debate among councillors.
But that’s exactly what happened at the Wakool Shire Council meeting last week when council was presented with requests for funding from two community groups.
Deputy Mayor Anthony Jackson said it was time they “draw the line” on granting funding to community groups that were already receiving “great subsidies” on their rates and had already been sponsored by council for previous events.
Case in point was a request for a $250 donation to the 2014 Moulamein Pre-School Easter Yabby Races Festival.
“I’m all for supporting pre-schools and charities but we do have to draw the line somewhere,” he said.
He said the council had sponsored the $200 first prize for the Moulamein Pre School’s annual Car Rally fund raising event for the past four years and that local pre-schools received $818 off annual rates.
The second request was a $100 sponsorship opportunity to help raise money for the Barham Primary School’s upcoming excursion.
Cr Jackson said he believed ratepayer money could be better spent on something other than a one-off event.
“My concern is that if we allow this, every single excursion the school holds, they will be asking for donations,” he said.
“I think this money could be better spent elsewhere, rather an an excursion, a one-off thing.”
Cr Colin Membrey strongly disagreed.
“I think it’s an incredibly important part of what our schools do and I think we should support it,” he said.
“We’ve got the money set aside in the 356 budget (donations budget), so let’s spend it.”
Cr Jackson was outvoted five to one.
