By JOHN VAN KLAVEREN
SEVERAL Geelong councillors have privately expressed “disappointment” at a State Government directive to abandon their Community Priority Projects ward funding system.
The councillors have conceded the system’s $7.2 million in annual funding will be absorbed into council’s general budget.
The system allocated $600,000 to each of the 12 wards annually for community-based projects.
The funding was at the centre of a battle between councillors and former mayor Keith Fagg who wanted to spend it on central Geelong projects. Mr Fagg quit and publicly criticised the model last year, leading to councillors revising the process for applications and decisions with enhanced transparency.
Victoria’s Local Government Inspectorate is yet to hand down findings on its investigation into the system but Mayor Darryn Lyons revealed this week that the Government had told council to axe the funding.
Councillors, who declined to be identified, told the Independent they understood that projects already covered under the sytem would be funded to completion but new ward-based projects were ruled out.
At least 200 community project applications were seeking funding under the system, they said.
“All projects now go into the mix and if council considers them worth funding then they’ll get the green light,” a councillor said.
City Hall is preparing its budgets for release of a draft budget in May.
Cr Andy Richards said council needed to focus on jobs and jobs growth.
“Council has got to be focused on jobs and creating employment through attracting private investment at the moment. Other areas might have to take a back seat this year.”
Cr Richards said City Hall development units Enterprise Geelong and Future Proofing Geelong, tasked with bringing in private investment capital and developing the next generation of employment opportunities, needed additional support.
