Council review grant applicants
Community groups have asked for more than $1.5 million in funding over the next three years from the Matamata-Piako District Council.
But the council, via its community grants fund, only has about $350,000 available for each year.
In total, 48 applications for funding were received and 29 were presented in person to the council at a special hearing.
The council must consider which grants to approve, and the level of funding, as part of its long term plan.
One of those who presented was Matamata-Piako’s Sport Waikato co-ordinator Lou Beer.
Beer said it was a daunting experience to speak to the council and was bascially ‘‘job hunting’’.
‘‘I am going in asking for my wage.’’
She said she knows the grant allocation comes from ratepayer money and the council needed to understand how that money would be put into action for the community.
‘‘You have got to be giving something back to the community with that money.
‘‘If you just sat down and thought of all the community groups who are not for profit, churches, St John, Red Cross, who would all give something back to the community - where does the ratepayer buck stop?
‘‘It’s an incredible merry go round - how do they (council) make it fair and prioritise?
‘‘It’s on that day they (council staff) earn their wage, when they have to make hard decisions to say no to good causes.
‘‘They can’t justify putting all of them onto the ratepayer.’’
A list of successful applications would be presented to the council for approval in December.
Separate applications were presented by Matamata Public Relations and Morrinsville Chamber of Commerce as part of council’s economic development funding.
Council would confirm the level of funding it would provide these two organisations.