A motion by Cr Roberta Horne to have the additional panel made-up of community members was successfully moved at council’s latest monthly meeting on June 25, following a vote of 4:3.
“ There are many valuable lessons to be learnt from our Community Grants and Awards Advisory Committee which has been operating with an assessment panel, made up of community members, from across the shire, since its inception in 2010,” Cr Horne said.
“ I believe all grants’ committees should align with this practice of including community members on assessment panels in order to demonstrate consistent governance arrangements for the application, acquittal and management of grants as outlined in the guidelines.”
Cr Horne said she wanted to see a minimum of three community members or Bank - as in Bendigo Bank or WAW representatives - added to the existing mix of council staff and semi government agencies appointed to the two committees.
“In this way the community can maintain confidence in the fairness, transparency and accountability of council processes,” she reasoned.
Much debate occurred after Cr Horne put the motion forward, which was seconded by Cr Peter Croucher and strongly supported by Cr Bernie Gaffney.
In her report for council, council’s director community & economic development Sally Rice said council’s grants governance policy provides consistent governance arrangements for the application, acquittal and management of different grants issued by council.
“Indigo Shire recognises the value and importance of the role community groups and organisations play in building vibrant, inclusive and healthy communities,” she said.
“Grant programs help support local organisations to meet a demonstrated need in our community. Council is committed to providing a range of community grants efficiently, fairly and ethically.”
With the Get Active Indigo Grants, for example, it was proposed that requests were to be assessed by an external panel including one Indigo councillor, one council manager, health promotion representatives from Indigo North Health and Beechworth Health Services, and a representative from the Regional Sports Assembly North East.
“In the interest of fairness, transparency and maintaining community confidence in the integrity of the assessment process, formal assessment processes exist for all competitive grant categories,” Ms Rice said. Organisations such as health services and sport north east consist of community members she said and was well supported by Crs Sue Gold and Diane Shepheard.
But Cr Horne wanted assurance and clarity of community representation on all three panels, as per the existing community grants and awards committee.
Ms Rice expressed surprise at Cr Horne’s motion because she said the opportunity to have the addition of community membership was afforded during the policy process for the grants committees. Cr Horne maintained she did suggest the change during the process.
Indigo Shire CEO Trevor Ierno said, talking about the required “process, not the merits” if Cr Horne’s motion was successful, it could take two or three months before community appointments were confirmed – into caretaker mode of the existing council (September 22-October 24).
Cr Bernie Gaffney responded: “Are you saying to me it could take three months? I’d think it would take three weeks rather than three months to get community members.”
The CEO said publishing for community members, coming back to council for consideration and decision, “takes time”.
Crs Horne, Gaffney, Croucher and Emmerick Teissl supported the motion: Mayor Sophie Price, and Crs Gold and Shepheard voted against the motion.
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