Charges drop divides TRC

Regional facility has $157k bill waived

‘‘ THESE ARE NOT-FOR-PROFITS AND THEY ARE MAJOR EMPLOYERS IN OUR DISTRICTS. CR ANNE GLASHEEN

THE decision to hand a notfor-profit organisation a full waiver of infrastructure charges for an extension to its residential care facility has divided the council.

Councillors voted 6-5 in favour of reducing the Pittsworth and District Hospital Friendly Society’s $157,000 charges bill to zero, following a previous approval of its new 26-room “memory support house” as an extension to the Beauaraba Living facility in Pittsworth.

TRC planner Sophie Spencer said the applicant wanted the reduction based on previous decisions by the council at the same site, and also that it was a charity that relied on government subsidies to keep caring for residents.

The proposed reduction was based on the temporary economic development incentives for district townships policy, which gave councillors full discretion to reduce the charges by whatever amount they wanted.

“It is recommended that the council apply a discount rate for similar development, being residential development, which would reduce the infrastructure charge to $28,379.78,” Ms Spencer wrote in her report to the council.

But Cr Anne Glasheen made an amendment to the motion, asking for the council to waive the full amount.

“I’d like to change the recommendation to waive the fee, which we have done on a number of occasions for hospitals and nursing homes in our district,” she said.

“These are not-for-profits and they are major employers in our districts.

“I urge you to support this motion.”

While he agreed with the concept to reduce charges for the facility, Cr Mike Williams took exception at the way the council had created an “unwritten policy” that applied to not-for-profits and health organisations.

“I fully support what we should do, but it sits outside of our policy and we now have by default another policy which is unwritten, which says that if you’re a not-for-profit and you’re invested in the health industry, you get a full waiver of your fees,” he said.

“We don’t actually have that policy - that’s just something that happens if you bring it before this council.

“We should be transparent and open, and if that’s our policy we should amend our policy to reflect that.”

Cr Bill Cahill echoed his colleague, saying he was supportive of the facility but wanted greater consistency.

Crs Williams, Cahill, James O’Shea, Deputy Mayor Carol Taylor and Mayor Paul Antonio voted against the motion.