HORSHAM Rural City Council’s latest decisions aim to improve council processes and offer more opportunities for community groups and projects.
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At a meeting on February 5, the council approved a funding partnership with ESCO to enhance its community development grants program.
ESCO is the company planning the development of a solar farm at Riverside East.
A report to the council indicated that ESCO expect to contribute between $20,000 and $40,000 each year from 2019-20.
The council gave $357,991 to groups within the municipality via the program last year.
”Each year the funding program is oversubscribed, with grants requests usually double the funding available,” said the report.
The report said the partnership helped the company fulfill the requirements of ESCO’s application to the Victorian renewable energy targets program.
Mayor Pam Clarke said the partnership would add value to the successful community grants program.
“They are very keen for their money to be spent on a sustainable project. The more money we can have control of, and where it goes, the better,” she said.
Meanwhile, the council approved an interest-free loan of $3277.70 to the Natimuk Community Energy group to be repaid in the future.
Read more: Natimuk to launch renewable energy project
The group will lodge a planning permit application to the Department of Environment, Land, Water and Planning for their photovoltaic plant project.
Planning and economic director Angela Murphy said the loan would cover the group’s application fee.
She said the money would be repaid within three years or six months of the successful funding application – whichever occurred first.
Also at the meeting, the council adopted a framework it says would provide a structured and consistent approach to its strategic planning and budgeting processes.
Acting chief executive Graeme Harrison said the council was previously without a formal framework for its planning and budgeting processes.
“The lack of a formal planning and budgeting framework is a risk to council that it will not undertake its planning and budgeting processes in a robust manner, which in turn could lead to poor and ad-hoc decision making,” he said.